Speak Kazakh: Language Ideologies in Kazakhstans Social media in Times of Russian–Ukrainian War
Kamalova A.
June 2025John Wiley and Sons Inc
Journal of Sociolinguistics
2025#29Issue 3182 - 193 pp.
This article examines the construction of language ideologies on social media in the context of the use of Kazakh and Russian languages in Kazakhstan following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Through the analysis of Instagram and YouTube posts and comments from popular Kazakhstani bloggers and opinion-makers, which were selected for the heated online debates they generated, this study explores how the choice of speaking Russian or ‘shala-Kazakh’ (a mixed form of Russian and Kazakh) is perceived in relation to the national identity of individuals in Kazakhstan. The analysis of social media content reveals the dominance of ideologies centred around notions of linguistic purity, national authenticity and decolonizing anti-Russianness. Utilizing Aghas theory of enregisterment and drawing on Irvine and Gals concept of language ideologies, this research investigates the impact of social changes on language ideologies. It also explores how language regulation and mocking practices on social media serve as significant mechanisms for the circulation and maintenance of these ideologies and broader linguistic and social hierarchies.
Kazakh , language ideologies , Russian , social media , орыс тілі , тіл идеологиялары , әлеуметтік желілер
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Department of Education and Humanities, Suleyman Demirel University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Department of Education and Humanities
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