Why Study Uzbek?
Today, Uzbekistan is the most populous and dynamic of the former Soviet Central Eurasian republics, and is a destination for a great deal of investment from the US, Europe, Japan, Korea and China. Uzbekistan, like Turkey, has firmly and actively allied itself with the United States in the most recent war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, and maintains a pro-Western, progressive outlook in global affairs. Diverse employment opportunities for Uzbek-speaking U.S. nationals are currently at an all-time high, and exceptionally well remunerated. The University of Chicago is one of only four universities in the United States where the language is offered. About the Uzbek Language Uzbek is a Turkic language spoken in Central Eurasia by approximately 30 million people, primarily in the Republic of Uzbekistan, and by Uzbek minority populations in the neighboring Xinjiang Province of China, as well as in Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, and in the Northern part of Afghanistan. Uzbek is closely related to
