Kasym Tynystanov As The Founder Of Kyrgyz Linguistics And Delegate Of The Baku Turkological Congress: Legacy And Tragic Fate

The article examines the life, scholarly legacy, and tragic fate of Kasym Tynystanov (1901–1938) – the founder of Kyrgyz linguistics, the first Kyrgyz professor, and a delegate of the 1st All-Union Turkological Congress (Baku, 1926). Based on verbatim reports, archival documents, and international research, the study analyses Tynystanov’s role in transitioning Kyrgyz writing from the Arabic script to the Latin alphabet, creating national linguistic terminology and textbooks. It is shown that the congress’s decisions determined the development of the Kyrgyz alphabet, orthography, and teaching methods. Special attention is paid to the political repressions of the 1930s, of which Tynystanov and most congress delegates became victims of; the history of his posthumous rehabilitation is traced. Additionally, the article highlights the scholarly debate surrounding the discovery of the Orkhon-Yenisei runic inscriptions – a crucial context for understanding the development of Turkology in the 20th century. The conclusion proposes measures to commemorate the scholar and to utilise his heritage in modern education.