Osman Demirel
This study aims to comparatively evaluate language teaching policies in the Turkic world through the examples of Azerbaijan and Türkiye. It is based on the assumption that, for Turkic communities, language is not merely a means of communication but also a fundamental carrier of national identity and social memory. The study examines the understanding of the state language, the language of education, foreign language teaching, alphabet policies, and the role of language in identity construction in Azerbaijan and Türkiye. Using document analysis, one of the qualitative research methods, the study evaluates relevant constitutional regulations, documents related to education policies, official data, and the existing literature. The findings of the study indicate that, in the post-Soviet period, Azerbaijan shaped its language and alphabet policies around independence, national identity, and cultural reconstruction, while Türkiye, since the establishment of the Republic, has positioned Turkish as one of the fundamental elements of the nation-state structure. It is noteworthy that foreign language teaching in Azerbaijan begins at an earlier grade level and that second foreign language instruction is included in a more institutionalized form. In Türkiye, on the other hand, language teaching policies are structured within a larger student population and a centralized education system. As a result, although the examples of Azerbaijan and Türkiye show that language teaching policies differ according to historical heritage, state-building experience, cultural orientation, and contemporary educational needs, they also have significant areas of convergence around a common language consciousness.