How did the Soviet period affect the development of written Turkic languages?

During the Soviet period, the development of written Turkic languages underwent significant, state-mandated transformations characterized by shifting scripts and linguistic policies.

Script Reforms

Prior to the 1920s, most Turkic peoples utilized the Arabic alphabet. During the 1920s, the Soviet government introduced Roman alphabets and created a "Unified Turkic Latin Alphabet." However, beginning in the late 1930s, the state made modified Cyrillic scripts compulsory for all Soviet Turkic languages. This forced transition often required multiple changes, with some languages cycling through Arabic, Roman, and Cyrillic scripts in a relatively short span, which hindered written communication.12

Linguistic Development

The Soviet era also saw the formal establishment of several languages as literary standards, including Kyrgyz, Bashkir, and Altay. These new regional literary languages were often based on local dialects and developed without coordination. Furthermore, under Russian dominance, these languages acquired numerous Russian loanwords and loan translations, while their social importance was often reduced by the prevailing political environment.13