bɪkˈʌz ʌv ɐsˌɪmɪlˈeɪʃən pɹˈɛʃɚz ðæt bɪɡˈæn ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti fˈoːɹ wɪððə kɹiːˈeɪʃən ʌv ˈʊzbɛk ˌɛsˌɛsˈɑːɹ, ˈɛθnɪk tˈædʒɪks ˈɔfən tʃˈoʊz tʊ aɪdˈɛntᵻfˌaɪ ðɛmsˈɛlvz æz ˈʊzbɛks ɪn pˌɑːpjʊlˈeɪʃən sˈɛnsəs fˈɔːɹmz ænd pɹɪfˈɜːd təbi ɹˈɛdʒɪstɚd æz ˈʊzbɛk ɪn ðɛɹ pˈæspoːɹts tʊ ɐvˈɔɪd lˈiːvɪŋ ðə ɹᵻpˈʌblɪk fɚðə lˈɛs dɪvˈɛləpt ˌæɡɹɪkˈʌltʃɚɹəl ænd mˈaʊntɪnəs tˌædʒɪkɪstˈæn.
Because of assimilation pressures that began in 1924 with the creation of Uzbek SSR, ethnic Tajiks often chose to identify themselves as Uzbeks in population census forms and preferred to be registered as Uzbek in their passports to avoid leaving the republic for the less developed agricultural and mountainous Tajikistan.