The English scientist, the author of the well-known monograph “The Alphabet” D. Diringer confirms the fact that “human acquires long life with the invention of written language.” In the ancient times the writing was treated as something holy, compared to gods, it was considered magic and mysterious. Numerous forms of written language and alphabets were observed in the history and some of them have remained until the present days. Unfortunately, our national alphabet was lost in the dark alleyways of history.
Since the invasion of the Arabs until now, three alphabets were used in Azerbaijan: Arabic or the ancient Azerbaijani alphabet, Azerbaijani Latin alphabet and Azerbaijani Cyrillic alphabet. The first was used for more than a thousand years; officially, the second was implemented for ten years, the last one for 51 years.
After accepting Islam, the Arabic alphabet was introduced into Azerbaijan as it was the written language of this religion. It had a compulsory character. At the same time, some cultural development and Muslim Renaissance was observed then. That is why, in spite of the confrontation between fire worshipping and Islam, the Arabic alphabet was easily accepted and served for the Azerbaijani culture during many centuries.
In the XIX century, M. F. Akhundov started the struggle on reforming and in consequence on complete substitution of this alphabet. A question arises here: why exactly in the XIX century? Because that was a new period in history. A lot of intelligent people knew Russian and European languages that time. Nobody thought of the alphabet changing before.
During that period, the emergence of the idea to change the alphabet became inevitable. And its author was M. F. Akhundov. Political life provoked numerous problems of the society, and the alphabet might be considered as one of them.
No wonder that the text book “Kitabi-turki” prepared by the poet of the XIX century Mirza Shafi Vazeh and the teacher of Tatar and Persian languages at the Tiflis gymnasium I. I. Griboyedov, was an attempt to reform the alphabet. However, at that time, the idea could not and did not become popular. The Arabic written language was considered as the language of the holy book and the idea to substitute the Arabic alphabet was not conceived in positive way, i.e. every intelligent person wrote in Arabic and the majority of them were religious figures. The people trusted them. M. F. Akhundov was atheist and he did not have authority among the people. Therefore, the idea to change the alphabet remained unrealized.
The issue arises again during Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918-1920). That was the demand of time, but not of certain people. In April 1920 Azerbaijan national government relinquished the power. The XI Red Army occupied Azerbaijan and set a new powerful regime. It was supported by the vast empire; fear replaced the national sympathy. The role of deceived nation was irreplaceable. In such situation every innovation was accepted with enthusiasm. Indeed, schools were opened and courses set to liquidate ignorance. Again the issue on the alphabet arose. The idea about the Latin alphabet was already formed. The Azerbaijani government approved the idea. Not just approved, but started its implementing and succeeded. The Latin alphabet was adopted in 1922, and in 1924, the issue of its study was considered, in 1926 the first Turkological Session was held and then each Turkic speaking republic of the USSR (even Turkey) adopted the common alphabet with Latin graphics. The alphabets of these countries differed a little in phonetics because of some phonetic specificities of these languages.
Officially, the Azerbaijani alphabet with Latin graphics was adopted in 1929 and it served the people for 11 years. The changing of the Arabic alphabet to the Latin one was not confronted in strong and open way. The process was observed as the struggle against religion. The state and religion were separated from each other and become enemies. The war against religion was waged. The mosques in Islamic and Turkic republics were closed, any religious rites were prohibited, ancient national traditions, customs and holidays were cancelled, and religious figures became haunted. In such situation, the struggle against the Arabic alphabet was carried out. V. I. Lenin called the struggle (the struggle against the Arabic alphabet for the Latin one) the revolution in the East. The process was really a revolutionary one.
In late 1930s, the alphabet problem arose once more. But this time, the changing of the alphabet was not considered. A new alphabet was prepared and later accepted. That was a strong historical mistake, which had public and political aims.
Finally, on June 18, 2001, the late President Heydar Aliyev signed the decree on the alphabet, in compliance with which all the country started using the alphabet with Latin graphics since August 1, 2001. And the first of August was declared “The Mother language day” since that year.