Askar Mamin chairs meeting of National Commission on Translation of Kazakh Alphabet into Latin Script

Askar Mamin chaired a meeting of the National Commission on the Translation of the Kazakh alphabet into Latin script.

Minister of Culture and Sports Aktoty Raimkulova and Director of the Institute of Linguistics named after Baitursynov Anar Fazylzhanova reported on the work done to improve latin script of the Kazakh alphabet, Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry Bagdat Mussin - on the project of the order of the Kazakh letters on the keyboard, Minister of Education and Science Askhat Aimagambetov on the forthcoming work on the transition to the Latin alphabet. Comments were also made by Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Doctor of Philology, Professor Zeynep Bazarbayeva, Deputy of the Majilis of the Parliament Sauytbek Abdrakhmanov, Deputy of the Senate of the Parliament Murat Baktiyaruly, Rector of the Gumilyov ENU Erlan Sydykov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Hangeldi Abzhanov, Deputy Prime Minister Yeraly Tugzhanov.

At the initiative of the First President - Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev, work began in 2017 to translate the alphabet of the Kazakh language into Latin script. As part of the execution of the order of the Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev dated Oct. 21, 2019, to improve the alphabet of the Kazakh language based on Latin graphics, more than 40 variants of the alphabet were considered, as well as draft rules for spelling the Kazakh language and the order of the letters on the keyboard.

In educational institutions, a questionnaire was conducted on writing and reading the characters of the improved alphabet. Open discussions were organized to take into account public opinion. The improved alphabet includes 31 characters of the basic system of the Latin alphabet, completely covering 28 sounds of the Kazakh language. Specific sounds of the Kazakh language ә (ä), ө (ö), ү (ü), ұ (ū) and ғ (ğ), ш (ş) are indicated by diacritical symbols umlaut ( ̈), macron (¯), sedil ( ̧), brevis (  ̌ ) which are often used in international practice.

The alphabet corresponds to the principle "one sound - one letter", enshrined in the written practice of the Kazakh language. A phased transition to the new alphabet is planned from 2023 to 2031.

“The improved version of the alphabet will give a new impetus to the development of the Kazakh language and will contribute to its modernization in accordance with modern trends. In the coming period, it is necessary to carry out a large preparatory work on the gradual transition to the Latin script of the Kazakh language,” Mamin said.

The head of government instructed to carry out a wide information and explanatory campaign among the population on the improved alphabet of the Kazakh language based on the Latin script.

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