Abstract. – In this analytical article, I present the dialectic diversity of the Uzbek language in terms and problems with the linguistic classification of those dialects. I intend to demonstrate that the diversity stems from the historical development of the language in the territory occupied by a variety of peoples at different times. I also attend to the issue of the spatial distribution of various Turkic and non-Turkic families of languages of Central Asia and beyond, and discuss their proximity and distance. I also discuss the existing linguistic ambiguities within the Uzbek language. [Central Asia, Uzbek language, Uzbek dialects, Chagatay, classification of dialects]