Alphabet reform in Kazakhstan: history and linguistic foundations
This article provides an overview of the alphabets used in Kazakhstan from the 5th century BCE to the present, tracing the history of Kazakh writing's formation, development, and transformation. It also offers insights and analysis on the specific linguistic steps of the national plan of...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2024
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25007/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25007/1/Gema%20Online_24_4_1.pdf |
| Summary: | This article provides an overview of the alphabets used in Kazakhstan from the 5th century BCE
to the present, tracing the history of Kazakh writing's formation, development, and transformation.
It also offers insights and analysis on the specific linguistic steps of the national plan of
transitioning to the Latin graphics. Although the transition to the Latin graphics is crucial for
Kazakhstan's development and the future of the Kazakh language, it has faced significant delays
since 1991 due to the complexity of the issue, which includes political-economic challenges and
numerous linguistic hurdles. The current study examines Kazakhstan's modern alphabet reform
from a linguistic perspective and explores the extralinguistic influences. It details the specific steps
in the transition process, including the linguistic work conducted between 2017 and 2023, the five
officially proposed Kazakh-Latin alphabet versions, and the corresponding spelling rules and
orthographic dictionaries. The research also analyzes the theoretical issues, linguistic difficulties,
and scholarly debates among Kazakh linguists regarding the transition to the new Kazakh alphabet
based on Latin graphics. As a result of the study, the linguistic reasons for the delay in the process
of Kazakhstan’s transition to the new Kazakh alphabet based on Latin graphics are identified, and
certain conceptions are presented. |
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