Developing Management Strategies for Promoting the Standard Variety of Azerbaijani Turkish in East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, and Ardabil Provinces: Focusing on Urban Speakers

Azerbaijani Turkish, as one of the major minority languages in northwestern Iran, faces numerous structural and functional challenges in maintaining and promoting its standard variety, despite the high density of speakers in the urban areas of East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, and Ardabil provinces. This study employed a systematic review approach combined with documentary analysis to synthesize findings from previous research conducted between 2016 and 2026. Drawing upon the theoretical framework of standard language planning (Kloss, 1969; Haugen, 1983), the study analyzed the current sociolinguistic situation in the target regions. The linguistic landscape of Tabriz, Urmia, and Ardabil is overwhelmingly monolingual (over 95% Persian). Educated families increasingly implement active replacement patterns within domestic settings. Official media allocate minimal airtime (less than 60 minutes daily) to Azerbaijani Turkish, and the variety broadcast is predominantly non-standard. Promoting the standard variety of Azerbaijani Turkish requires the adoption of an integrated policy package encompassing five core dimensions: official language planning, educational redesign, media engineering, urban management, and systematic monitoring. The realization of these strategies remains contingent upon national political will, robust inter-institutional coordination, and active participation of the target speech community.