Tleubay S.T.
Abai Kazakh Pedagogical University, PhD doctorate,
Almaty, Kazakhstan
TRINITY OF LANGUAGES IN THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN
People all over the world become closer than ever
before. Goods and services that appear in a country will be immediately promoted in the others.
International transfer and communication are more common. For describing this
present time, they use the term: THE ERA OF GLOBALIZATION. This phenomenon
affects the economic business and exerts a wide influence on society at that.
The growth of the developing countries is the main cause of globalization and
it brings both opportunities and disadvantages to them. Globalization is a
process and this process makes developments in these countries.
In recent years inter-ethnic cooperation in Kazakhstan
has undergone some changes. Our management policy is aimed at strengthening the
equality of the different nationalities of the country, no matter which ethnic
group they belong to. The principles of state language policy are defined in
the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in the laws of the
Republic of Kazakhstan "On Education" and "On languages
in the Republic of Kazakhstan" and in the "State
program of functioning and development of languages for
2011-2020." In accordance with the state program of functioning and
development of languages, language development strategy has three main
objectives:
In today's world in the era of globalization the
question of language and its meaning in society was one of the important state
tasks in connection with the processes of self-determination. The main problems
of language are: the use of language in formal and informal communication,
language teaching in secondary and higher educational institutions. At the
current stage, the purpose of education is not only knowledge, but also the
formation of key competencies, which are aimed at preparing students for future
life. They must be prepared to communicate both orally and in writing. This
process should involve knowledge of several languages.
Kazakhstan is a multinational state with already
established and continuously developing multi-ethnic mentality. Rich experience
of peaceful coexistence of different peoples, cultures and religions has
accumulated on the Kazakh land. This heritage defines the essence of our unity
and provides friendly inter-ethnic relations at the present stage. Political
processes, occurring in Kazakhstan, its dynamic economic development and its
desire to enter the educational world space require maximum openness to
different points of view, the ability to rethink and evaluate the contribution
of different cultural historical paradigm in the educational process. In order
to enter a single global educational environment and ensure social mobility of
Kazakh people, it is necessary to develop a dialogue of cultures and
traditions, customs, religions and educational systems.
Since ancient times, the value of polylinguism was one
of the important directions. Nowadays it is impossible to imagine that there
are countries where people speak only one language. In reality, there is no
state, where only one nation lives. Bilingualism and multilinguism are integral
to the normal functioning of any multinational state. Today the Kazakhstani
educational system provides a study of Kazakh as the state language, Russian as
the language of interethnic communication.
Trinity of languages in the Republic of Kazakhstan is
a concept aimed at further strengthening of our country. A polylingual person
will always be in demand in any society. This indicates its competitiveness in
today's society.
Currently, much attention is paid to the study of
languages of the people living in Kazakhstan. The state language
is Kazakh; the Russian language is the language of interethnic communication.
New textbooks are published in six languages. They are Kazakh, Russian, Uighur,
German, Turkish and Uzbek. Foreign languages are taught in all
educational institutions. Kazakh and Russian are the main languages in all
educational institutions. The curriculum includes not only Russian, but also at
least one other foreign language. This situation suggests that bilingualism has
formed in Kazakhstan, and there is a trend towards multilingual education.
President Nazarbayev said that "... Kazakhstan is
unique, and multinationality is its strong point. A unique multicultural space
is formed on its ground. Multiculturalism in Kazakhstan is a progressive factor
in the development of our society. Eurasian roots of the peoples of Kazakhstan
allow for connecting the Eastern, Asian, Western, European flows and creating a
unique version of the Kazakh multiculturalism. "[2]
"Now bilingualism is the most important form of
cultural interethnic communication in Kazakhstan. The person, who knows several
languages, is able to communicate with more people, to take up the material and
spiritual wealth of other native speakers. He can get acquainted with their
history and culture”. [3]
The growing awareness of the world community of the
contradiction between increased levels of multi-ethnicity of the social
environment in which people live and work, has led to the fact that a
multicultural and multilingual education is increasingly becoming an integral
characteristic of modern trends of social and political development in the
world. This problem is inherent in the educational practices of different
states. It shows its significance and urgency.
The ongoing development of multilingual education is
encouraged by the deepening of international cooperation and collaboration, the
growth of professional and academic exchanges. Multilingual education in
Kazakhstan is a concept aimed at further strengthening of the country and its
potential. Fluency in three or more languages is a part of the
national ideology, aimed at establishment and development of competitive
Kazakhstan.
Formation of a polylingual person is one of the
priorities aimed at internal policy of our multinational state. In order to
ensure the competitiveness of the country and its citizens, the President of
the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan
Nazarbayev in his Address "New Kazakhstan in the new world" proposed
phased implementation of the cultural project "Trinity of languages":
"It is necessary to develop three languages: Kazakh as the state language,
Russian as the language of interethnic communication and English as the
language of successful integration into the global economy "[3]. According
to Nursultan Nazarbayev’s strategy, national education should become
competitive and high-quality, so that graduates of Kazakh schools could easily
continue their studies in foreign universities.
One of the main strategic objectives is to preserve
the best traditions of Kazakh education and give school leavers international
qualifications, develop their linguistic consciousness based on knowing
of state, native and foreign languages.
One of the objectives of education is familiarizing a
younger generation with world-wide, global values, the formation of
adolescents’ ability to communicate and interact with other cultures in the
world. Due to the important role of language in the modern world, the question
of language teaching takes the leading role in our society. Teachers also need
to know their own language and the language of international communication -
English. The main aim of school teachers is raising a multicultural personality
knowing the customs and traditions of its people, multilingual, able to carry
out communicative - activity-related operations in the three languages
in all situations, striving for self-development and
self-improvement [4].
Policy in the sphere of language is one of the most
important aspects of the ongoing social and economic modernization in our
society. President Nazarbayev pays much attention to this component. Trinity of
languages is a unique project, initiated by the head of state. In today's
multicultural world there is an urgent problem of contingency of languages
remains, as well as the search for effective and sustainable programs in the
field of languages.
In the 1990s, new concepts of education were
developed, including the concept of ethno-cultural education, which provides a
detailed definition of "multi-cultural identity". According to this
concept, "a multicultural personality is the individual with a strong
linguistic awareness. Knowledge of native and state languages, learning a
foreign language broadens the mind of the individual, contributes to their
multi-faceted development and to the formation of tolerance and vision of the
world." This definition gives us an idea of the next
generation.
The application of new methods and technologies of
teaching foreign languages will contribute to the development of
personal qualities that are demanded by modern multicultural and multilingual
society. Therefore, the problem of using effective methods of teaching English
is very important.
Currently, some of the principles have already been
formed in the system of polylingual education:
There are significant changes in the requirements for
the results of the training and education of the modern younger generation, the
urgent need to form a willingness and ability to live in an open society where
there is coexistence of various nationalities and ethnic groups, and therefore,
representatives of different languages and cultural traditions. In
summary, it should be noted that the formation of a multilingual personality is
one of the most urgent problems of modern education system of Kazakhstan.
Knowledge of languages is useful not
only for individuals but also for society. The realities of our time convince
us of the necessity of mastering Kazakh, Russian and one foreign language.
In this era of globalization, when the separate
existence of different nations and cultures becomes impossible when there is a
rethinking of the goals and objectives of education, and we understand that the
current content of education does not meet adequately the needs of society, there
are widely discussed new concepts and paradigms such as multicultural
education, training of multilingual, cultural approach, socio-cultural
competence, and others.
There is no doubt that the integration of Kazakhstan
into the world community, building an open democratic society, the
internationalization of all spheres of life contribute to the fact that
multilinguism becomes one of the most urgent problems of modern Kazakh
education in the formation of personality, having global thinking. In this
context, the problem of multi-cultural education is becoming even more relevant
in Kazakhstan today.
Thus, the conditions in Kazakhstan are ideal for the
development of multicultural and multilingual education, and developing a
multilingual multicultural personality, whose purpose is to increase the level
of its own culture in general: the culture of communication, culture of speech
and culture of mentality. Multicultural aspect of modern civilization can be a
powerful humanistic concept of an intercultural dialogue. Tolerance is one of
the main components in a multipolar civilization, and a good example of
cultural and educational space of Kazakhstan can be extremely important for the
whole world. In terms of industrial-innovative development of the country there
is an urgent need for the development and implementation of multilingual
culture and multilingual education in the sphere of education. Knowing Kazakh,
Russian and foreign languages is becoming an integral component of personal and
professional activities of mankind. It leads to a need for a large number of
practically and professionally multi-lingual people, who can take a more
prestigious, both socially and professionally, position in society.
References