A Study of Uzbek Letters on the Korean Transcription System

This study aims to standardize the transcription of Uzbek linguistic units that have so far been pronounced and written in Korean mass media without clear criteria by developing a comparative chart of Uzbek letters and Korean scripts. As English and Russian have previously functioned as intermediary languages in the transcription of Uzbek personal and geographical names, considerable inconsistencies in written forms have emerged. Moreover, because many existing renderings fail to adequately reflect the original pronunciation, distortions in pronunciation and a lack of correspondence between spelling and pronunciation have frequently occurred. On the basis of fidelity to the original pronunciation, a comparative chart between Uzbek letters and the Korean script is proposed and the transcription system is applied to Uzbek personal and geographical names. The primary objective of this system is to ensure a certain degree of orthographic regularity while maintaining maximum proximity to the pronunciation of the source language and facilitating its use by Korean speakers. Although the proposed transcription system remains at a preliminary stage, it has the potential to reduce previously existing distortions in pronunciation and confusion in spelling. Furthermore, it represents a step toward the establishment of a Korean-based orthographic system that more accurately reflects the original pronunciation of the Uzbek language.