Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

On February 18, a conference titled “The Language of Media in the Context of Scientific Discussion” was held at the Central Scientific Library, jointly organized by the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) and the Azerbaijan Press Council.

The main aim of the event was to discuss, from a scientific perspective, the observance of language norms in mass media, as well as the existing challenges in this field and ways to address them.

Initially, participants of the conference familiarized themselves with an exhibition of books on the Azerbaijani language published by ANAS.

The conference was opened with an introductory speech by ANAS President, Academician Isa Habibbeyli. He noted that the event is dedicated to the scientific discussion of issues and requirements regarding the Azerbaijani language raised by President Ilham Aliyev during the 80th anniversary meeting of the National Academy of Sciences and in interviews with local television channels. He emphasized that the President’s statements in this area are aimed at strengthening the legal foundations of the independent Azerbaijani state, consolidating national and spiritual unity, and preserving and enriching the Azerbaijani language.

Academician Isa Habibbeyli highlighted that the strong foundations of state language policy in Azerbaijan were laid by National Leader Heydar Aliyev. Even during the first term of his leadership, under the prevailing Soviet internationalist ideology, consistent and well-thought-out steps were taken in the direction of Azerbaijani identity. The inclusion of Azerbaijani as the state language in the 1978 Constitution of the Azerbaijan SSR exemplifies Heydar Aliyev’s foresight and dedication to national values.

In the modern era, President Ilham Aliyev consistently keeps Azerbaijani language policy at the forefront of state priorities. The “State Program on the Use of the Azerbaijani Language in Accordance with the Demands of the Time in the Context of Globalization and the Development of Linguistics in the Country” serves as a roadmap for scientific research in this field.

Academician Habibbeyli emphasized that the President’s statements during ANAS’s 80th anniversary and his January interviews with local TV channels indicate a new stage in state language policy. He pointed out that the President’s directives focus on several main areas: valuing the language highly, presenting it as a key marker of national identity, and balancing the use of international terminology. He added that, alongside international terms, creating new words and expanding national terminology using the Azerbaijani language’s internal resources is essential. For this purpose, relevant information is published in the ANAS Institute of Linguistics’ journal “Issues of Terminology.”

The ANAS President also noted that in the era of technological development, providing practical guidance on language preservation serves as a useful tool for professionals working in this field. He highlighted the importance of consulting dialectology, word creation, and literature to enrich the Azerbaijani language.

Academician Habibbeyli spoke about ANAS’s efforts in implementing state language policy, including joint events with linguists and the Azerbaijan Writers’ Union, organizing Olympiads on the Azerbaijani language, preparing orthographic and orthoepic dictionaries, and compiling reference books on personal names. Systematic scientific research on Azerbaijani grammar is underway, with publications on phonetics, morphology, and lexicon already released, and works on syntax in preparation.

Emphasizing the importance of media participation, Academician Habibbeyli noted that mass media is the primary tool that activates and popularizes the Azerbaijani language. He stressed the necessity of regulating media language and assured that ANAS is ready to provide scientific support to the Azerbaijan Press Council in this area.

He concluded by describing the conference as an important step in implementing the President’s directives regarding the Azerbaijani language and wished success to the event.

Then, Rəşad Məcid, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Press Council, highlighted the relevance and importance of the conference on language issues. He spoke about the established cooperation between the two institutions, noting that this partnership contributes to the development of media language.

Məcid emphasized that the President, in his speech at ANAS’s 80th anniversary and January interviews with local TV channels, outlined a clear strategic direction for the present and future of the Azerbaijani language, marking a new stage in state language policy.

He noted that the President had stressed the importance of preserving the purity of the Azerbaijani language and set concrete tasks for scholars. Məcid recalled the conference “Proper Application of Literary Azerbaijani Language Norms in the Media,” jointly organized by ANAS, the Media Development Agency, and the Press Council shortly after the President’s anniversary speech, whose main goal was to strengthen adherence to literary language norms in the media and improve speech culture.

“The President’s statements highlight journalists as professionals with special responsibility for the literary language, placing greater obligations on the media,” Məcid said. He stressed that journalists and media representatives play a vital role in developing and preserving the Azerbaijani language; therefore, using the language correctly, fluently, and according to literary norms is a key responsibility.

He also spoke about the Press Council’s Language Commission, whose composition was updated in 2025 to address issues arising from the President’s language policy directives. In its first meeting of 2026, the new composition of the Commission was confirmed, including prominent TV journalists, presenters, scholars, media representatives, and experts.

Məcid noted that to improve the Commission’s effectiveness, it is important to expand cooperation with ANAS institutes, highlighting the conference’s significance in this regard.

Vüsalə Mahirqızı, CEO of APA Media Group and Chairperson of the Press Council’s Language Commission, stated that the Azerbaijani language is not only a means of communication but also a model of national thought. She emphasized that President Ilham Aliyev consistently values Azerbaijani as a key attribute of national identity and statehood, stressing the importance of maintaining its purity and opposing uncontrolled foreign loanwords.

Mahirqızı noted that the main responsibility in this area falls on linguists. Creating new words, developing terminology, and submitting it for discussion is the direct task of specialists. At the same time, media representatives must collaborate closely and systematically with linguists to protect and develop the language.

She also mentioned that ANAS has prepared orthographic, orthoepic, lexical, and terminological dictionaries, emphasizing the importance of digitizing these resources for media and the public, including the use of digital and artificial intelligence technologies. She specifically highlighted the electronic digitization of orthoepic dictionaries to ensure correct pronunciation.

Mahirqızı pointed out that online tools checking Azerbaijani spelling are widely used but currently do not meet modern requirements or updated language rules. She stressed that the work of the ANAS Institute of Linguistics in this area will help quickly eliminate obstacles to the development of the Azerbaijani language and protect it from foreign influences.

Other speakers included Professor Sevinc Aliyeva, Head of the Monitoring and Linguistic Analysis Department at the ANAS Nasimi Institute of Linguistics; Eflatun Amaşov, Editor-in-Chief of “Xalq qəzeti” and member of the Press Council Language Commission; Professor Qulu Məhərrəmli of Baku State University; well-known TV presenter Nərgiz Cəlilova; Akif Aşırlı, Editor-in-Chief of “Şərq” newspaper; Umud Rəhimoğlu, Chair of the International Eurasian Press Fund; Aydın Quliyev, Editor-in-Chief of “Bakı-Xəbər” newspaper; Tahir Aydınoğlu, Chair of the Press Council Senior Journalists Council and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of “Xalq qəzeti”; Saadət Məmmədova, Deputy Chair of the Press Council; and Professor Sayalı Sadıqova, Head of the Terminology Department at the ANAS Nasimi Institute of Linguistics.

The discussions focused on promoting the correct and fluent use of literary Azerbaijani in the media, developing language culture, speech culture in television, radio, and social media, and the media’s strategic role in preserving and actively using the literary language. The responsibilities of journalists in introducing new terms and maintaining linguistic richness and originality were emphasized.

It was noted that adherence to literary language norms in broadcast, print, and digital media is of particular importance for preserving national-cultural values and ensuring language purity.

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