Behbudi’s Contribution to the Formation of Functional Style

The article analyzes the views of the Jadids, particularly Mahmudkhoja Behbudi, on the development and refinement of the Uzbek language. It also discusses Behbudi’s contributions to the formation of functional stylistics. Notably, in Mahmudkhoja Behbudi’s textbook Kitobat ulatfol (‘Children’s Writing’), written for primary classes of Jadid schools employing the Usuli savtiya (phonetic method), the writing of official letters and correspondence characteristic of the formal style is presented, while his drafted “Projects” contain the charters of the first political parties, which is of significant importance.
The article further highlights Behbudi’s efforts to grant the Uzbek language the status of a state language, to establish its literary and officialadministrative functions, and to define its use within functional stylistic domains. Through the analysis, it is shown that his views on the normalization of Arabic, Persian-Tajik, Russian, and other linguistic elements within the national lexicon, as well as his methodological perspectives on language teaching, form an integral part of his linguistic theory. In addition, the article examines Mahmudkhoja Behbudi’s drama Patricide.