Minority language policy and practice in Kazakhstan

• In Event: Languages issues in education in Asia and the Pacific

Abstract

Kazakhstan is a multi-ethnic country. Kazakhs, the dominant group, make 63%, Russians about 23% and minority groups 14% of the total population. Majority of population (60.5%) speaks Turkic languages (Kazakh, Uzbek, Uyghur, etc.), third speaks in Slavic languages (Russian, Ukrainian, etc.) and less than 5% speak in other languages (Korean, German, Dungan, etc.). 2009 Survey data revealed that majority ethnic minority groups are either undergoing language shift or lost their languages and shifted to Russian. At the same time, only 3.3% of schoolchildren in Kazakhstan attend minority-language schools; most minority groups have lower level of education in comparison to Kazakhs (Smailov 2011).

This paper discusses the two major issues relating to minority languages in Kazakhstan: their status and the factors contributing to their retention or attrition, with particular focus on language education. My approach is grounded in poststructuralist and critical theory (e.g., Bloomaert Gal 1989; Heller 1999; Tollefson 1991, 1995). The paper first outlines the wider sociolinguistic and historical context by identifying factors that lead to the language shift among minority groups before and after 1991 Independence of Kazakhstan. This it is followed by the analysis of the official language and education policy documents defining status and describing rights of minority groups. Finally, the paper presents the case of the Kazakhstan Dungan people (Muslim Chinese). Drawing upon data collected through ethnographic interviews, the paper shows that recent socio-economic changes in Kazakhstan have made it progressively difficult to maintain the Dungan language for a number of reasons: dissolution of large Soviet farms, urbanization, demographic changes, lack of state support, and absence of education in mother tongue. Less than half (48.9%) of Dungans report fluency in their mother tongue, 35.9% and 95.1% report fluency in Kazakh and Russian respectively (Suleimenova et al 2007).

The document analysis reveals that minority language rights are secondary to Kazakhstan’s agenda of Kazakh nation-building and stability. It appears that minority groups and languages are tolerated on the condition that they promote ‘inter-ethnic accord’ and do not challenge the supremacy of the Kazakh language. The provisions stated in the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Law on languages and Law on Education do not translate into language and education practices. De jure minority groups have rights to maintain their languages; de facto minority languages are tolerated, their needs are ignored, with exception of three demographically powerful groups: Russians, Uzbeks and Uyghurs. The ethnographic interviews suggest that silencing minorities and ignoring their languages leads to weak integration of minorities in dominant society and growing societal defragmentation. Minority communities seek alternative to state support ways to maintain their languages such as sending Dungan students to study in mainland China or learning Chinese in language centers sponsored by the government of the PRC.

It is well known that education in mother tongue helps sustaining minority languages and improving school achievement of minority children. However, in Kazakhstan there is a serious lack of recognition and understanding of the role that education in mother tongue/bilingual education can play in social integration and academic achievement. This paper attempts to raise awareness about the problems of minority groups in Kazakhstan and encourage academic community to explore this underresearched area further.

References
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Author

• Juldyz Smagulova, KIMEP University