Филологические науки/9. Этно-, социо- и психолингвистика

Baimurzinа А.А.

Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and

Institute of Linguistics named after A.Baitursynuly, Kazakhstan

Language identity and multilingualism of Kazakhstan society

Modern Kazakhstan society is in the assessment condition of the consequences of the Soviet era, the transition to democracy and the choice of the place in the world. At the same time transformation goes as in the spheres of policy, economy, culture, and ideology according to that the space of the changing identities is formed: civil (state), national, ethnic and others, including language identity.

«The most liberal language policy is carried out in all former Soviet Union since the first years of independence in Kazakhstan, which based on the understanding that a variety of cultures and languages is a national property» [Suleimenova E.D.; 2011]. And a key factor of adoption of this understanding comes a formation of tolerant and solidary identity of citizens, because it is considered an essential condition of the preservation of the state integrity and maintenance of the society consent.

Generalizing all characteristics of each of Post-Soviet countries, it is possible to state the identical orientation on the development a new thing, together with the preservation of the existent one. For example, development of national language policy that is directed to fixing of a dominant of a state language that has considerably influenced on language situation.

It is necessary to recognize that a modern language reality, i.e. a real use of languages, not always fully reflects the language policy of the state, and sometimes it never reflects. «The similar phenomena are presented in the CIS countries at the different levels - they can be described in the form of the following antinomies:

- state and political conditions, favorable for title languages, quite often contradict insufficient degree of their prevalence;

- the status of a state language quite often resists to gaps in standardization;

- a high prestige of Russian quite often resists to low prestige of title languages;

- a language policy of intensive support of title languages not always corresponds to the attitude of language community towards them» [Vingender M.; 2014].

It should be noted that nowadays majority state languages still are more a symbol of sovereignty or a sign of ethnic identity than the widespread communication medium. As professor E.D. Suleimenova notes, this particular symbolical value of Kazakh was a determinate factor on proclaiming it a state language - so Kazakh language became one of the main elements of statehood and state identity along with a flag and the anthem.

The symbolical value of Kazakh, prevalence of Russian, and also need of acquisition of other languages predetermines features of a multilingualism of Kazakhstan society. Thus, a set of the following characteristics is peculiar to multilingualism in Kazakhstan:

- multilingualism is defined as massive, because an overwhelming part of the population of the country possesses a high degree of Kazakh and Russian language competences;

- multilingualism is qualified as heterogeneous, because languages of different genetic families and typological classes participate in its formation;

- multilingualism is characterized by mobility of the language competences changing under the influence of language planning;

- the following implicit bilateral dependence affects on mass visualization of multilingualism: polyethnicity of the society surely assumes its multilingualism, and on the contrary, multilingualism of the society is constructed on its polyethnicity. From such statement it is easy to pass to a thought that languages of all ethnoses equally participate in country multilingualism.

However, communicative power of all 126 languages, certainly, is not comparable: leaders in the volume of communicative opportunities and language competence are Kazakh and Russian languages – the main participants of processes of multilingualism in the country. A typology of multilingualism on participating languages is various: Kazakh, Russian, English, Uzbek, German, Uigur, Ingush, Azerbaijani and other languages act as its components. Tendency to formation of an equal share of Kazakh-Russian and Russian-Kazakh bilingualism becomes distinct [Suleimenova E.D.; 2011].

As one of Post-Soviet countries, Kazakhstan has been exposed to many changes too, respectively, Kazakhstan society has faced new identities.

As T. P. Mlechko notes, ideally new language identity doesn't force out previous one, and leads to redistribution of communicative functions between the used languages. It conforms to the requirements of social integration through language and reflects the dependence of the process of a language individuation of the adult not only on the objective conditions of language situation, but also on his subjective efforts, on his conscious activity [Mlechko T.P.; 2013].

Therefore, language identity of Kazakhstan society is formed favorably. If in Soviet period Russian was privileged, then with acquisition of independence on this position Kazakh has towered, and Russian became serves as the language of international communication. At this time, so we already mentioned, Kazakhstan society to seek to become, at least, trilingual: knowledge of Kazakh as the state language, Russian as the language of international communication and English as the language of successful integration into global economy.

Thus it is possible to assume that components of a multilingualism form new language identity of Kazakhstan society.

As W. von Humboldt has considerably emphasized, the richness of the world opens for us through a variety of languages [Теr-Мinasova S.G.; 2000]. Knowing several languages, we can consider our mother tongue through the prism of other languages.

Multilingualism   – a progressive phenomenon in the conditions of globalization as it promotes mutual understanding and cooperation of the people, development of the native languages and increase in the general culture of everyone.

In conclusion, it is thought that the main thing   is to warn and prevent possible negative consequences that can arise as a result of «identity crisis» during the intensive globalization occurring along with strong localization. Because, as Eric Eriksson notes, «identity crisis» arises in the conditions of deep public transformations [Erikson E.H.; 1996].

Literature:

1. Suleimenova E.D. Yazykovye protsessy i politika [Language processes and policy]. Almaty, Kazakh universiteti, 2011. 117 p.

2. Vingender M. Confrontation of language policy and language reality in the CIS countries (Comparison of Russian-Turkic language communities of Tatarstan and Kazakhstan). Aktual’nye etnoyazykovye i etnokul’turnye problemy sovremennosti [Actual ethnolinguistic and ethnocultural problems of modernity]. Moscow, Fond «Razvitiya fundamental’nykh lingvisticheskikh problem», 2014. 400 p.

3. Mlechko T.P. Russkaya yazykovaya lichnost’ blizhnogo zarubezh’ya [ Russian language identity of the neighboring countries]. Kishinev, Valinex, 2013. 437 p.

4. Ter-Minasova S.G. Yazyk i mezhkul’turnaya kommunikaciya [Language and intercultural communication]. Moscow, Slovo, 2000. 624 p.

5. Erikson E.H. Identity: Youth and Crisis. 18th ed. Harvard University Press, 1968. (Russ. ed.: Tolstykh A.V. Identichnost’: yunost’ i krizis. Moscow, Progress, 1996. 344 p.