What is the Kazakh language and how many people speak it?
Kazakh is a Kipchak Turkic language and the official tongue of Kazakhstan spoken by nearly 10 million people.
Questions about Kazakh language
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When did the modern Kazakh language emerge and from which historical period?
The modern Kazakh language emerged from the ashes of the Golden Horde and solidified its identity during the reign of the Kazakh Khanate around 1465 AD.
Which scripts have been used to write the Kazakh language since 1929?
Until 1929 Kazakh was written using the Arabic script before the Soviet regime forced the adoption of a Latin script in the early 1900s and replaced it with a Cyrillic script in the 1940s.
How many phonemic vowels and consonant phonemes does the Kazakh language contain?
The Kazakh language includes 12 phonemic vowels and 19 native consonant phonemes with additional sounds found only in loanwords.
When was the transition from Cyrillic to Latin announced for the Kazakh language?
The transition from Cyrillic to Latin was announced by President Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2017 and is scheduled to be phased in from 2023 to 2031.
Who stated that the Kazakh language is in a vulnerable position in 2024?
The Kazakhstani Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek placed the Kazakh language in a somewhat vulnerable position in 2024.