The Influence of Globalization on the Kazakh Language in Kazakhstan - Essay Example

The influence of Globalization on Kazakh language in Kazakhstan Outline: Introduction Globalization has played a major role in transforming cultures across the globe This is attributed to increasing technological advancements mostly evident in information technology, which translates to outpouring of “western” culture. In the process of nationalizing Kazakh language, some elements of other languages penetrate into Kazakh thus influencing it in some ways. The 1920s soviet policy that saw Kazakh language move away from Arabic script to Latin letters is argued to be among the first fundamental breaks that affected the Kazakh language. Migrations have also affected Kazakh language. Thesis statement Globalization has played a major role in transforming cultures across the globe Change in Kazakhs language in the recent decades In 1980s, there was a drastic change in relation to education, workplace, and electronic media. In 1990, only 18% of all students enrolled for higher education institutions studied in Kazakhs language. In the 21st century English has actually influenced many languages since it is widely recognized as an international business language. Mass media influence Kazakh’s radio mixed different languages in their programs thus lead to low level of interest by Kazakh listeners to listen to Kazakh in the radio. Kazakh listeners had an alternative of tuning into different and richer programs from Moscow. Kazakh-language transmissions in the public television declined. This is attributed to the increased television programs including entertainment and lottery, and which most of it came in Russian language. Work place influence In the late 2001, most of the government office works in the capital continued to be transacted in Russian. Internet influence Most people have adopted foreign languages in the effort to facilitate communication through internet. Many computers have software, which are dominated by the American English. Global business influence Kazakh’s travel across the border to conduct business with other people from abroad. This ends up eroding local language and culture. Introduction In the contemporary world, globalization has played a major role in transforming cultures across the globe (Anheier and Yudhishthir 2007). This is attributed to increasing technological advancements mostly evident in information technology, which translates to the outpouring of “western” culture. However, focusing on Kazakh language, it can be argued that Communist Party of the Soviet Union’s (CPSU) ideological principles has greatly shaped Kazakh language. With Kazakhstan language being viewed as a link among the population in the entire state, it is evident that, in the process of nationalizing Kazakh language, some elements of other languages penetrate into Kazakh thus influencing it in some ways (Fierman 2006). Since the late 1920s, the soviet policy has affected Kazakh language in several ways. The soviet policy dictated that Kazakh language and other Turkic languages of the USSR should move away from Arabic script to Latin letters (Anheier and Yudhishthir 2007). This can be argued to be among the first, fundamental breaks that affected the Kazakh language. The other major change that happened is the shift to adjust versions of the Russian Cyrillic alphabet. In this regard, it is true to argue that these changes fostered a commonality between Turkic speakers in the USSR and French, English, and German. Since the end of the nineteenth century, Kazakhstan has drastically changed especially due to migration effects of Russians to the Kazakh steppe (Fierman 2006). Another major issue of concern was collectivization of agriculture. In the period between 1929 and 1936, famine reduced Kazakhstan households almost by a half. As a result, quite a number of people migrated out of Kazakhstan to china. Additionally, many non Kazakh were brought into the republic, and this changed Kazakhs culture (Fierman 2006). Therefore, due to these changes and other global factors such as business across borders and mass media, it can be argued that globalization has played a major role in transforming cultures across the globe. Change in Kazakhs language in the recent decades In 1989, 97% in urban centers were Kazakhs speakers. However, about 40% of these people did not speak Kazakhs language fluently. According to Anheier and Yudhishthir 2007, this was as a result of Russian influence in the urban centers. During this period, many young generations of Kazakhs did not see any important reason why they should preserve Kazakh. In early 1980s, there was a drastic change in relation to education, workplace, and electronic media, which fueled the change of Kazakh language. For example, in education, a large number of Kazakh children living in urban centers were being educated in Russian-medium classes (Fierman 2006). In fact, many urban centers had few Kazakh-medium schools. Statistically, at that time, only two schools in the whole of the alma-Anta, the then capital city that provided Kazakh-medium education (Anheier and Yudhishthir 2007). In 1990, only 18% of all students enrolled for higher education institutions studied in Kazakhs language. The twentieth century was a dawn of Kazakhs being transformed into minority in their own land. However, it is argued that Kazakhs have not lost their language identity which is their main cultural wealth. In the 21st century, political shifts and economic factors are argued to have a great share in influencing language policies in Central Asia. In fact, globalization, which is a worldwide phenomenon does not only affect economic issues alone, but also social, political and cultural issues. In this regard, it has been noted that English has actually influenced many languages since it is widely endorsed by preachers of globalization. Therefore, just like any other country in the world, Kazakhstan has equally been influenced towards this effect of globalization. Mass media influence As far as mass media is concerned, in 1990s, Kazakhs electronic mass media were widely available in the urban centers. However, there was a great influence of Kazakhs people adapting other languages (Silova 2010). Kazakh’s radio mixed different languages in their programs thus lead to low level of interest by Kazakh listeners to listen to Kazakh in the radio. Apart form Kazakh radio with the mixture of Kazakh’s and Russian languages, Kazakh listeners had an alternative of tuning into different and richer programs from Moscow (Silova 2010). It is also noted that the share of Kazakh-language transmissions in the public television declined. This is attributed to the increased television programs including entertainment and lottery, and which most of it came in Russian language. This was much enticing since these programs aimed at attracting people’s attention since they badly needed entertainment after hard work and stress (Edelbay 2012). Additionally, people were fond of foreign television programs that carried a lot of education and entertainment value. It is also argued that the issue of limiting locals to assess and adopt western cultures during soviet days contributed a lot in adoption of western cultures after the break of Soviet Union (Blum 2007). However, it is argued that foreign television programs had the negative impact on Kazakh. Opponents of westernization argued that the western television programs contained negative consequences in it. For example, they argued that these programs concentrated on western cultures thus making locals believe that western things are good and make people feel happy (Anheier and Yudhishthir 2007). This was taken to mean that local cultures should be abandoned and adopt western cultures. However, the argument was that western culture contained materialism and other immoral deeds. For example, the use of violence and sex on foreign television programs was argued to negatively influence Kazakh’s children. There is Kazakh’s language culture, which contains use of appropriate and decent language when addressing people of different age groups. Nevertheless, western television programs were argued to make locals less disciplined, and above all, on the way to use Kazakh language decently (Blum 2007). Centrally to the western television programs, locally-produced television and radio programs of Kazakhstan channels concentrated only on local news and weather forecasts. The rest of the time they would concentrate on showing old soviet movies or some cheap western movies. The imposition of western culture through media had generally changed both economic and language policies. This was evident in the change of lifestyles adopted by locals who were under the influence of the western culture through the mass media. Some of the areas seen to conflict local values include orientation of the society of equal opportunities, orientation of the political and economic freedom, and desire for social stratification. Workplace influence In early 1980, Russian was the overwhelming language of communication in the urban workplace. This was as a result of very few non-Kazakhs, who comprised the majority, knew Kazakh (Blum 2007). On the other hand, most of Kazakhs living in urban centers had some skills or fluently spoke in Russian. In fact, it is argued that even today, Russian is widely used than Kazakh in some cities. In the late 2001, most of the government office works in the capital continued to be transacted in Russian. Internet influence On the other hand, internet has also played a key role in influencing the Kazakh language. In fact, internet is argued to be a site of transnational capitalism (Assyltayeva, Aldubasheva and Tolen 2012). As people increasingly diversify their communication with relatives and friends, it is apparent that the use of the internet has been on the increase. In this regard, most people have adopted foreign languages in the effort to facilitate communication through the internet. This means that the major languages used in the internet today would be the most learned and used by people using the internet. For example, many computers have software, which are dominated by the American English. The perception that English is the international business language has led to more people yearning to learn the “international business language” for them to effectively conduct their international businesses efficiently. Therefore, it is true to argue that gradually, minority languages loose taste as people concentrate of worldly recognized languages (Saunders 2010). Global business influence It is also apparent that, with globalization, many people have diversified businesses. Kazakhs travel across the border to conduct business with other people from other countries. Some of the common places Kazakh’s travel include China, the US, Dubai and Italy. In addition, many people travel to other countries for education (Assyltayeva, Aldubasheva and Tolen 2012). This translates to, for example, the whole members of a family traveling outside the borders for one reason or another. A mother or a father could travel for businesses and children could travel for education. As a result of these travels, it is apparent that intermingling with foreign people is a must. Therefore, this means that one has to learn a foreign language in order to communicate effectively (Edelbay 2012). Unfortunately, since different languages have different communication styles depending on its culture, it is evident that one has also to learn how to use foreign communication styles in order to enrich his/her communication. Consequently, when these people return back home, they tend to bring in some concepts of foreign language and culture (Anheier and Yudhishthir 2007). It is also apparent that some people travel to different destinations to visit family members from the country they originated, that is, people who remained behind or migrated to Russia, Germany, Israel or other places. This ends up eroding local language and culture. Conclusion Globalization poses a threat to killing the languages of minorities. In fact, it has entered in all fields of politics, economy and cultures. Continued free markets across borders continue to encourage acculturation. This among other things includes loss of language meaning as people adapt new or foreign languages. Globalization has also made people rely on major languages that are used in the internet today. With Kazakhstan language being viewed as a link among the population in the entire state, it is evident that in the process of nationalizing Kazakh language, some elements of other languages penetrate into Kazakh thus influencing it in some ways. Since the end of the nineteenth century, Kazakhstan has drastically changed especially due to migration effects of Russians. In the 1980’s, many young generations of Kazakhs did not see any important reason why they should preserve Kazakh. In early 1980s, there was a drastic change in relation to education, workplace, and electronic media, which fueled the change of Kazakh language. During this period, a large number of Kazakh children living in urban centers were being educated in Russian-medium classes. Foreign television programs had the negative impact on Kazakh. Western culture contained materialism and other immoral deeds. In early 1980, Russian was the overwhelming language of communication in the urban workplace. Internet is also argued to play a part in influencing the Kazakh language. Most people have adopted foreign languages in the effort to facilitate communication through the internet. Kazakhs travel across the border to conduct business with other people from abroad. Consequently, when these people return back home, they tend to bring in some concepts of foreign language and culture. However, there is a need for cultures to maintain their cultural practices even with the need for globalization. It is argued that language is a rich component of culture, which symbolizes what people of that particular culture stand for. If anything, globalization should act as a means of enriching cultures, but not suppressing them. Submitting to western culture or making western culture a global culture and particularly so the English language is introducing modern capitalism. Bibliography: Anheier, H. and Yudhishthir, R. 2007. Conflicts and tensions. Los Angeles: SAGE. Assyltayeva, E; Aldubasheva, Z and Tolen, Z. 2012. Formation of Civic Identity in the Process of Globalization: The Example of the U.S.A. and Kazakhstan. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, 66: 389-396. Blum, D. 2007. National identity and globalization: youth, state, and society in post-Soviet Eurasia. New York [u.a.]: Cambridge Univ. Press. Edelbay, S. 2012. Traditional Kazakh Culture and Islam. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3, 11: 122-133. Fierman, W. 2006. Language and Education in Post-Soviet Kazakhstan: Kazakh-Medium Instruction in Urban Schools. The Russian Review, 65: 98–116. Saunders, R. 2010. The many faces of Sacha Baron Cohen: politics, parody, and the battle over Borat. Lanham, Md.: Lexington; Towcester: Oxford Publicity Partnership distributor. Silova, I. 2010. Globalization on the margins: education and post socialist transformations in Central Asia. Charlotte, N.C.: Information Age Publ. Read More