Research Article

The Role of Alphabets in the Formation of Kazakh Written Language

Number: 116 January 30, 2026
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The Role of Alphabets in the Formation of Kazakh Written Language

Abstract

The Kazakh written language, whose first works were produced in the late 19th century, is a relatively young written language that, until 1940, sporadically used the Arabic, Latin, and Cyrillic alphabets. The formation of the Kazakh written language in the late 19th century was influenced not only by the lifestyle of the Kazakhs at that time but also by the language policies pursued by Tsarist Russia and its practices regarding minority languages. It can be said that Ibıray Altınsarin’s proximity to N.I. Ilminskiy, who formulated and managed Russia’s policies on minority languages, played a role in his publication of the first literary work in Kazakh. The Cyrillic alphabet used in the work undeniably contains phonetic elements that distinguish Kazakh, as an oral-based language of the Turkic family, from other Turkic languages. This alphabet also influenced the development of the Arabic-based Kazakh alphabet prepared by Ahmet Baytursınulı and the Latin-based alphabet adopted in 1926. It is evident that the pressure and imposition of the Soviet Union played a significant role in shaping the modern Kazakh written language, particularly with the adoption of the Russian-based Cyrillic alphabet in 1940.

Keywords

References

  1. Altınsarin, Ibıray. Kirgizskaya Hrestomatiya 1. İ.İ. Evfimiyevskogo-Mirovitskags Yayınevi, 1879.
  2. Altınsarin, Ibıray. Naçal‘noe Rukovodstvo k obuçeniyu Kirgizov Russkomu Yazıku. İ.İ. Evfimiyevskogo-Mirovitskags, 1879.
  3. Altınsarin, Ibıray. Mektubat. M. Çirkovoy Adındaki Yayınevi, 1899.
  4. Altınsarin, Ibıray. Şerayitü’l-İslam Musulmanşılıktıñ Tutkası. Kazan Üniversiteti Tabhanesi, 1884.
  5. Amirjanova, Nazira. Kazakstandağı Latın Jazuvınıntarihi Tağılımı. Memlekettik Tildi Damıtuv İnstitutı, 2012.
  6. Ayan, Ekrem. Modern Kazak Edebiyatının Öncüsü Ibıray Altınsarin. Bilge Kültür Yayınevi, 2015.
  7. Baytursınulı, Ahmet. “Cazuv Tertibi.” Aykap, Cemaziyelula/April no. 4, 1912a/1330, pp. 84-86.
  8. Baytursınulı, Ahmet. “Cazuv Tertibi.” Aykap, Cemaziyelahir/May no. 5, 1912b/1330, pp. 104-107.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

South-East (Latest Uyghur/Uzbek) Turkic Dialects and Literatures

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

January 30, 2026

Submission Date

March 17, 2025

Acceptance Date

October 17, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Number: 116

APA
Yertayeva, P., & Koraş, H. (2026). The Role of Alphabets in the Formation of Kazakh Written Language. Bilig, 116, 157-185. https://doi.org/10.12995/bilig.8695
AMA
1.Yertayeva P, Koraş H. The Role of Alphabets in the Formation of Kazakh Written Language. Bilig. 2026;(116):157-185. doi:10.12995/bilig.8695
Chicago
Yertayeva, Perizat, and Hikmet Koraş. 2026. “The Role of Alphabets in the Formation of Kazakh Written Language”. Bilig, nos. 116: 157-85. https://doi.org/10.12995/bilig.8695.
EndNote
Yertayeva P, Koraş H (January 1, 2026) The Role of Alphabets in the Formation of Kazakh Written Language. Bilig 116 157–185.
IEEE
[1]P. Yertayeva and H. Koraş, “The Role of Alphabets in the Formation of Kazakh Written Language”, Bilig, no. 116, pp. 157–185, Jan. 2026, doi: 10.12995/bilig.8695.
ISNAD
Yertayeva, Perizat - Koraş, Hikmet. “The Role of Alphabets in the Formation of Kazakh Written Language”. Bilig. 116 (January 1, 2026): 157-185. https://doi.org/10.12995/bilig.8695.
JAMA
1.Yertayeva P, Koraş H. The Role of Alphabets in the Formation of Kazakh Written Language. Bilig. 2026;:157–185.
MLA
Yertayeva, Perizat, and Hikmet Koraş. “The Role of Alphabets in the Formation of Kazakh Written Language”. Bilig, no. 116, Jan. 2026, pp. 157-85, doi:10.12995/bilig.8695.
Vancouver
1.Perizat Yertayeva, Hikmet Koraş. The Role of Alphabets in the Formation of Kazakh Written Language. Bilig. 2026 Jan. 1;(116):157-85. doi:10.12995/bilig.8695

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