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143 
 
Until this time, he pointed out, there was no any exertion to arrange and 
assemble languages. They remained as they were. There was no alphabet and 
intellectuals never endeavoured to make any arrangements to tackle this issue. 
Religious intellectuals preferred to communicate through Arabic. This lack of a 
means of communication resulted in the Russian invasion, and the North 
Caucasians never established a unified structure. Therefore, according to Abat, the 
first and foremost duty of the North Caucasian intellectual emigrants, was to work 
for the necessary language arrangements and achieve a unity of language before 
North Caucasian independence. 
For unity of language in the North Caucasus he proposed a two-staged 
project. Initially, he emphasized, the languages that were spoken in the region has 
to be specified. Their origins, vocal structures, transliterations, letters were to be 
defined and arranged in a unified manner. In making these arrangements, he 
suggested that the Latin script be used. Obstacles related to sounds which could not 
be found in other languages using the Latin script, could easily overcome by 
inventing special letters for the North Caucasian languages. 
The next step following the determination of the written languages would 
be the unification of some several languages. This arrangement, he believed would 
cause the establishment of a strong bond between the peoples of the North 
Caucasus. Then, he progressed the second stage of his project: to decide the official 
common language, which would be the means of communication among these 
peoples. 
 
 

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144 
 
Abat was well aware that this was his most controversial point. 
Nevertheless, he stated in his article that the reason necessitates that the peoples of 
the North Caucasus has to make a choice between three different alternatives: 
“ 1- To adopt one of the main languages, in use in the region, that is 
Russian or Turkish, as an official language,. 
2- To assent one of the languages of the North Caucasus as an official 
language. 
3- To create a new language inspired by Esperanto and to adapt it as an 
official language.”
373
 
 
Abat believed and suggested that the first alternative should not be 
considered. For the second, because of the primitive structure and insufficiencies of 
those languages to embrace the whole population of the region, he pointed out, it is 
impossible to select one of them as an official language. For the third alternative, 
although it is very hard to realize, he argued that, it was not impossible to create 
such a language and moreover, it has an attractive side. If the North Caucasians 
could manage to create a simple language that composed of small numbers of 
words which has an optimum meaning, the peoples of the region would prefer this 
language and automatically began to use it. Then within a time a common language 
would emerged within the North Caucasian territory and the language problem 
would be solved.
374
 
 
With this article, Abat initiated a serious discussion among the North 
Caucasian emigres. Several intellectuals, published critiques, answers, and analysis 
in reply. The prominent Caucasian leader, Ahmet Tsalikhov using the penname A. 
                                                 
373
 Abat, “Esaret,” 26. 
374
 Abat, “Esaret,” 26. 

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145 
 
T., criticized Abat in his article ‘Kafkasya Dağlılarının Resmi Lisanları’ (The 
Official Languages of the Caucasian Mountaineers) and made his own analysis. 
“Today, we too, desire and demand the solution of the language problem 
firstly and urgently, because our movements are excessively intellectual not 
operational. As an instrument of the manifestation through which the flow 
of idea towards the each and every segments is ensured there is a need for a 
common language.”
375
 
 
According to the Tsalikhov, the North Caucasians, under these 
circumstances they have no option but to use Russian or Turkish as an official 
language at that time, because in general, Mountaineer Intellectuals can only speak 
Russian or Turkish. Therefore in all publications, at least for the time being, each 
and every Mountaineer has to accept both of these languages together. 
 
“Consequently, for the time being, in principle, we have to understand and 
accept the employment of both languages together in all the publications. 
Moreover, each Mountaineer, under the conditions in which his own 
personal language is not sufficient, has to know that the language that 
would be utilised in the fields of national idea and science are Russian and 
Turkish.”
376
 
 
At the end of his article, Tsalikhov, having suggested using of Latin script 
because of convenience and its international character, emphasized that the issues 
of language and script should be scrutinized broadly, and this kind of a discussion 
would be open to every North Caucasians. Tsalikhov asked the North Caucasians 
to scrutinize Abat’s alternatives in detail. By doing so, they can make the true 
choice. However, he suggested that the discussion should not be open ended. All 
                                                 
375
 A. T., March 1934. “Kafkasya Dağlılarının Resmi Lisanları,”  Gortsy Kavkaza
≅ Kafkasya 
Dağlıları, (Paris), 49: 2-4. Hereafter “Lisan”. 
376
 A. T., “Lisan,” 2. 

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