In our country, February 21 is celebrated as International Mother Language Day. This day holds special significance for once again emphasizing the importance of protecting, developing, and transmitting our national language to future generations.
AzEdu.az on this occasion interviewed primary school and Azerbaijani language and literature teachers, posing questions to them regarding the protection and teaching of the mother tongue.
The winner of the "Young Teacher of the Year" competition, Tarana Nuriyeva, spoke about the impact of modern technology and social networks on children's mother tongue development, as well as new methods to be applied in the future to maintain primary school students' interest in their mother tongue:
"The place of modern technologies in our lives is undeniable. These technologies have many positive aspects, just as they have negative ones. First of all, I would like to say that it is already difficult to imagine a life without technology. Instead of keeping our children away from these technological tools, we should teach them how to use them correctly and purposefully. If we are talking about speaking and writing skills, why shouldn't our children develop further precisely by using this technology?
For example, in my lessons, I create opportunities for students to create their own digital books using the StoryJumper platform. During this process, students both construct stories, write, and read, which comprehensively develops their self-expression skills in their mother tongue. At the same time, through the Immersive Reader tool provided by Microsoft, students can listen to texts, learn the correct pronunciation of words, and develop their reading skills at their own pace. Such tools are very effective in increasing interest in the mother tongue, especially in primary grades.
To develop students' speaking and writing skills, I use methods such as storytelling, role-playing games, creative writing, presentations, and digital storytelling. Stories, poems, and games both develop children's imagination and help them feel the richness of their mother tongue. They don't just learn the language; they also live and love it.
In the future, the application of innovative methods such as AI-based reading programs, podcast creation, animated storytelling, and digital book projects will make mother tongue instruction even more interesting and effective. Our goal is to make children love their mother tongue and turn it into a natural part of their daily lives."
Azerbaijani language and literature teacher, winner of the "Young Teacher of the Year" competition, Alihuseyn Yaqubov, spoke about the speaking and writing skills of modern-day students and the methods he uses to develop students' language skills:
"In the modern era, our students' reading and writing skills vary by region and environment. For example, in some events we participated in, we observed that a group of students, especially those attending urban schools, had difficulty speaking their mother tongue. This situation mainly applies to students studying in other sectors. For instance, students attending Russian-language and private secondary schools sometimes struggle with reading in their mother tongue. However, based on our observations and surveys conducted in Azerbaijani secondary schools in general, we can say that there is no serious problem with our children's speaking ability in their mother tongue.
In writing skills, especially regarding the use of punctuation marks, our students sometimes face difficulties, and this is even observed in our school. Overall, I do not think there is a serious problem. There are certain differences compared to previous generations, because until independence, our alphabet was in Cyrillic script. Currently, Latin script is used in Azerbaijan, which creates certain differences in writing skills. Reading skills have also changed relatively. In general, children now have the opportunity to read more from electronic resources and the internet than from books. Sources and reading opportunities are wider. It is true that these resources also have negative aspects, but in any case, today's children have many more choices and opportunities than before.
In the learning process, especially students who learn their mother tongue well assimilate other subjects, including history and humanities, more easily. As reading skills in the mother tongue strengthen, this also boosts the development of these processes. At the same time, reading and writing skills exams conducted in the mother tongue in grades 4, 6, 9, and 11 have revealed clearer differences compared to previous periods.
To develop students' language skills, we organize reading competitions at our school. In the ongoing competition, students read various books, winning prizes and strengthening their relationship with their mother tongue by developing their reading skills. I believe that the implementation of such initiatives in other schools would also be important, and it is already being carried out in several schools.
Overall, the development of the mother tongue and the Azerbaijani language cannot be underestimated today. However, one of the biggest factors affecting the development of our language is the media environment. For example, some television programs use vulgar, crude, and unethical expressions unrelated to family and domestic topics. Of course, we cannot attribute this to all of them.
Such instances can negatively affect students' attitudes towards the language. I believe that in this regard, the Institute of Linguistics, the Press Council, and other relevant institutions should make a joint decision and take necessary steps."
Primary school teacher and winner of the "Young Teacher of the Year" competition, Gulagha Rahmetov, stated that students in regional schools primarily speak with the dialect and accent specific to their residential area. He also spoke about how work is carried out on literary Azerbaijani, and the difficulties encountered in the process of eliminating dialectal features or adapting them to the literary language:
"In our region, work on literary Azerbaijani with students is carried out systematically and in stages. First, students' current language level and speech characteristics are observed, taking into account the influence of both Azerbaijani and Talysh languages in their speaking environment. It is known that it is our state language, and the teaching process is built on the literary norms of this language. At the same time, as it is widely used in our region, it naturally manifests itself in children's speech. We use various methods to instill literary language norms and grammar.
Working on reading and listening texts, correct pronunciation exercises, vocabulary-enriching tasks, dialogues, and discussions are among the main tools. We comparatively show students how the same concept is expressed in different dialects and in the literary language. This method helps them understand the difference more clearly. Written assignments, such as essays, dictations, and text composition, play an important role in reinforcing grammatical rules. The main difficulty in the process of eliminating dialectal features is the language habits students have formed at home.
Children sometimes struggle to determine which word to use in which language, especially hesitating with object names and household expressions. Furthermore, since some parents also prefer to speak in dialect, the literary norm taught at school is not sufficiently reinforced in daily practice. It is more effective to carry out this process through enlightenment and motivation rather than coercion. Students are explained that dialect or the Talysh language is their cultural richness, but speaking correctly and fluently in literary Azerbaijani in official and public environments is important for their future education and career.
Thus, the goal is not to suppress dialect, but to develop students' ability to choose the correct language appropriate to the situation. He attached particular importance to the protection, development, and strengthening of the Azerbaijani language as the state language. In his speeches, he repeatedly emphasized that the Azerbaijani language is the national treasure of our people, a spiritual value, and one of the main attributes of our statehood. One of his famous sayings is: "It is the language that sustains and develops the nationality and spiritual values of every nation." The great and irreplaceable personality Heydar Aliyev considered the preservation of literary language norms important, while also stating that dialects and sub-dialects are part of the rich cultural heritage of the people. He noted that the use of the Azerbaijani language with different nuances in various regions is natural and demonstrates the richness of our language. However, he particularly emphasized the necessity of adhering to literary language norms in official environments, state administration, education, and mass media.
The establishment of the Azerbaijani language as the state language in the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan adopted in 1995 was precisely a result of his political course. Furthermore, the signing of the decree "On improving the application of the state language" in 2001 was an important step towards preserving literary language norms. Heydar Aliyev's position was that dialects and sub-dialects are the richness of our language, but as the state language, the literary form of Azerbaijani must be protected, developed, and correctly applied in all official spheres of society. It is the duty of each of us to protect our state language, Azerbaijani, and pass it on to future generations."
Azerbaijani language and literature teacher, winner of the "Young Teacher of the Year" competition, Khazri Muradov, spoke about the language and design of textbooks, as well as the interest of female students in the Azerbaijani language:
"Our observations also show that one of the subjects where students score the highest is the Azerbaijani language. This is not accidental. The mother tongue shapes a person's way of thinking. Students grasp other subjects precisely through language. Correctly understanding what they read, clearly expressing their thoughts, drawing logical conclusions, etc. – language proficiency lies at the foundation of all these. Therefore, students who achieve high results in Azerbaijani language generally tend to be more successful.
As for the predominance of female students in this field and in university admission rates generally, there are both objective and subjective reasons. Our girls tend to be more attentive, responsible, and disciplined during the learning process. Instances of distraction from lessons are relatively fewer, and they approach assignments more systematically. Male students, on the other hand, can be psychologically more prone to distraction. These factors are among the main reasons explaining why girls constitute the majority among applicants scoring high in recent years.
I would like to specifically address the issue of the mother tongue. The mother tongue defines our identity. Every student is obliged to know the depths of their language. If a citizen does not know their language and does not respect it, their moral right to be a child of this homeland comes into question. Because language is not just a means of communication; it is history, culture, memory, and national consciousness.
In the words of the Great Leader Heydar Aliyev: "What makes a people a people, and a nation a nation, is its mother tongue."
To increase students' interest in their mother tongue, modern methods should be used in lessons alongside traditional approaches. It is necessary to teach thinking, comparing, and drawing conclusions by working with texts, rather than simply memorizing rules. Debates, creative writing assignments, text analysis, real-life examples, and the use of technology – all these make the language lively and interesting. Students should feel the spirit of the language, not just its rules.
As for the language and design of textbooks, although there have been certain positive changes in recent years, there is still a need for improvement. Some texts are not fully selected to match students' age characteristics, and some assignments test mechanical memory rather than practical language skills. A modern textbook should make students think, engage them in discussion, and expand their vocabulary and expressive capabilities.
Finally, I would like to emphasize once again: the mother tongue is not just a subject, but a matter of national identity. It is the duty of each of us to protect, enrich, and correctly transmit our language to future generations."
