Russian Language in Kazakhstan: Specific Learning and Functioning in the Context of Interlingual Interaction

Abstract

The diversity and specificity of cultures and languages of ethnic groups, living on the territory of Kazakhstan, create a special socio-cultural context of the Eurasian space, demonstrating the model of modern interethnic linguistic and socio-cultural interaction. Uniqueness of social and communicative space of the country, characterized by the dominance of the state Kazakh and Russian languages - languages of two large ethnic groups - against a background of great linguistic diversity, determines the significance of the study of their interaction and mutual influence in the context of a multicultural society. This paper analyzes the issues of language interaction in polyethnic state, forms and methods of foreign language influence on Russian language. The issues of learning and functioning of the Russian language are considered as a native and as a second languauge. Active processes due to features of the interaction of the Kazakh and Russian languages are analyzed as 1) speech activity of ethnic Russians; 2) Russian speech of other ethnic groups; 3) learning and using Russian language by repatriates-Kazakhs and foreign citizens.