Linguistic dynamics and language policy in Kazakhstan

Abstract

The research relevance of language policy methods, as well as the current language processes in society, is predefined by an urgent need to form nation-states with their own language and culture. The research aims to create an idea of the language changes in Kazakhstan during the period of independence and assess the language policy and its prospects at the present stage. The research employed the following methods: comparative-comparative, statistical (basic), analytical-synthetic, and graphic (auxiliary). This research examined the main parameters of language modernisation in Kazakhstan in recent years, studying the key perspectives regarding language policy. The results of the population census in Kazakhstan for 1999, 2009 and 2021 were analysed in the research. Statistical data was presented in the form of figure diagrams and in tabular form to increase the efficiency of the perception of information at the expense of clarity. A comparison was made between different stages of the formation of the Kazakh language identity (from the beginning of the twentieth century to the modern stage). Particular attention was paid to the study of the parameters of the educational system and the implementation of the concept of the trinity of languages studied within the framework of secondary and higher schools. The modern language policy of Kazakhstan was evaluated in terms of the prospects for the coming years (up to 2025). The dynamics of changes concerning the language in Kazakh society were tracked. This research can be used for further linguistic research related to sociolinguistic surveys, studying the language situation in different countries around the world, and forming an idea of how different methods work in the field of language modernisation.