Why are there no dialects in the Kazakh language?
Common Issues and the Phenomenon of Dimash
The intellectual popular science program "Cultural Context," which focuses on culture, history, anthropology, philosophy, and sociology, is gaining increasing popularity on the "Khabar" TV channel. For five consecutive seasons, it has been hosted by Alima Bisenova, an associate professor at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Nazarbayev University.
The program features well-known intellectuals, which undoubtedly attracts an audience. The concise format of "Cultural Context," lasting no more than 25–30 minutes, also helps reach the modern viewer, who can create their own information space thanks to the Internet. The program is gaining viewers not only on television but also on YouTube, where anyone watching it can express their opinions. According to the host, maintaining a dialogue with the audience is crucial for knowing which topics to raise and what questions to ask the guests.
One of the most vibrant and information-rich discussions featured Alima Bisenova and Turkologist Timur Kozyrev, a scientific expert from the International Turkic Academy, where they talked about the development of Kazakh and other Turkic languages in Kazakhstan and globally.
According to the linguist, the history of Turkic languages spans millennia. It is closely linked to the peoples who speak them, as well as to other ethnic groups in Eurasia. Modern Turkic-speaking populations live not only within their historical range—Central Asia, China, certain regions of the Volga, North Caucasus, and Turkey—but also in areas stretching from the Russian Far East to Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Additionally, Turkic minorities exist in countries across Western Europe, Australia, and Canada.
Various sources estimate the number of Turkic language speakers to range from 170 to 200 million people. The most widely spoken among them is Turkish, with around 90 million speakers, primarily in Turkey and Cyprus. A significant number of Turkish-speaking diasporas can also be found in several European countries, such as Germany and France. Approximately 30 million people speak Azerbaijani, and an equal number speak Uzbek. The Kazakh language ranks fourth, with about 15 million speakers, while 10 to 12 million Uyghur speakers predominantly reside in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. Other major Turkic languages include Turkmen, Kyrgyz, and Tatar.
Regarding the state language of Kazakhstan, Alima Bisenova believes that over the 34 years since the adoption of the Declaration of Sovereignty, there has been a significant increase in the scope of its usage.
– In the early years of independence, the development of the Kazakh language was supported by the state, but today it is dictated by the market, with new players emerging, – she states. – These include publishing houses profiting from translations into Kazakh because their books are selling, as well as courses that teach the state language effectively and quickly because there are people willing to pay for it.
Warning that he would respond to this remark not as a representative of an international organization but as a private individual, Turkologist Timur Kozyrev stated the following:
– The area of application for the state language in certain fields—government administration, media, culture, literature, cinema—has indeed expanded significantly. Compared to what it was (and I remember the 80s and even the tail end of the 70s), and what it is now, the difference is enormous. The prestige of the language has risen sharply. It is developing not only in the realm of government administration but also in the cultural sphere. This includes the phenomenon of Dimash Kudaibergen and the Kazakh series that garner millions of views, enjoyed not only in Kazakhstan. However, the glass, metaphorically speaking, can be either half full or half empty, as there are sectors where the language still has room for growth. For instance, there are several technical fields (such as nuclear physics) where certain concepts are difficult to express even in Russian. But this issue is not exclusive to Kazakh; it affects most European languages—German, French, Spanish, and so on. The only exception is English, which is rapidly displacing all other languages in the field of fundamental exact sciences. Writing a scientific article in one of the aforementioned languages limits a scholar’s audience, and they will be compelled to struggle with translation into English to reach a broader audience.
Without Borders and Beyond Time
The Turkic Academy, being an organization of a purely scientific format, studies other Turkic languages, engaging the academic community of independent Turkic states, autonomous regions within Russia, and Turkology centers in other countries such as Hungary, the USA, Japan, Korea, Germany, etc.
– Our interests encompass all existing Turkic languages and the heritage of the peoples who speak them, regardless of borders, – said Timur Kozyrev. – Whenever possible, we publish their literary monuments. I am the coordinator of a project focused on the heritage of Turkic intellectuals from the 19th and early 20th centuries, who created the identity of the Turkic world as a cohesive whole during that period and made the first leap towards the modernization of their peoples.
According to the Turkologist, several languages of small Turkic ethnic groups are endangered—they are on the brink of extinction. These include the languages of the peoples of Siberia and the Russian Far East: Shor, Chulym, Tofalar, and Dolgan.
– About seven years ago, we conducted an event at UNESCO dedicated to languages that are under threat of extinction, – notes Timur Kozyrev. – It is challenging for me to assess the current state of some of these languages, as I admit I have not been in the field, that is, on-site, for quite some time, but it is clear that there is a contraction in the application of several Turkic languages. This raises the question: can a people survive without a language? Experience shows that sometimes it is possible. For example, the Irish, who have largely lost their language, have nevertheless maintained, thanks to their Catholic faith that distinguishes them from the English, the will to continue existing as a people, ultimately achieving the restoration of their statehood. The Tyrolean language, closely related to German, had no official status until recently, but it has survived in daily life. People who speak it live partly in Italy, as well as in Switzerland and Austria. Typically, when a language is in such a position, its social sphere and opportunities shrink, affecting the richness of its lexical fund, and so on. However, if an ethnic group has certain values for which it makes sense to continue existing, it can maintain its language stably, albeit in a limited sphere. Nevertheless, experience shows that this is still the exception rather than the rule.
Returning to the topic of the state language of Kazakhstan, Timur Kozyrev noted a particular characteristic of it: a weakly expressed dialectal division.
– It is expressed literally at the level of individual lexemes, meaning that the differences are minimal, largely due to the system of exogamy—жеті атаға толмай қыз алыспау (the prohibition of marriage up to the seventh generation), which has existed for several centuries, – says the scholar. – In territorially small countries with a sedentary lifestyle (for example, Germany or Greece), neighboring dialects can be poorly understood by each other. However, in the vast steppes where people constantly migrated, this was impossible. But I believe this is not so much due to the open space as it is because of the population's mobility and, I repeat, the exogamy up to the seventh generation. Some of my historian colleagues have even suggested that the Kazakh nation was formed by brides—келiндер. And this is true in the sense that the exchange of brides between clans was indeed very active. From spring until deep autumn, ancestors closely interacted. They could meet during migrations in a certain territory and intermarry, only to disperse in opposite directions over thousands of kilometers. As a result, there was a constant mixing of the population. However, I would not exaggerate the role of the absence of dialects in the Kazakh language. They are not entirely absent, but compared to the dialects of some other languages, it can be said that these are rather local variants at the level of, I emphasize, individual lexemes. For example, еге (variant – ие) means 'owner.' It is usually said – үйдің егесі (there is a proverb: еркек үйдің егесі, әйел үйдің шегесі) and as a variant – үйдің иесі. But I think we should not place excessive emphasis on this. Dialectal vocabulary should be regarded calmly. After all, it is our wealth, and it ultimately enriches the literary language.