Translingual Practices in the Linguistic Landscape in the Western Region of Kazakhstan
Utegenova A. Utegenova K.T. Umarova G.S. Utepova N.D. Yergaliyeva Z.K. Nurtazina N.K. Doskeyeva M.Y.
1 February 2024Academy Publication
Theory and Practice in Language Studies
2024#14Issue 2392 - 403 pp.
In spite of the sharp rise of research interest in linguistic landscapes worldwide, little attention has been given to the multilingual urban discourse of Kazakhstan. Being first in the investigation into the multilingual practices characteristic of the linguistic landscape in the western region of Kazakhstan, our study adds to the number of linguistic landscape analyses through a translanguaging lens. This paper explores translingual practices on local bottom-up commercial public signs by the example of four major cities in the region: Aktau, Aktobe, Atyrau and Uralsk. The study uses a mixed method research design combining qualitative and quantitative analysis of multilingual urban texts accompanied by semi-structured ethnographic interviews with owners of commercial establishments. In our analysis, we specify various dynamic and creative forms of mixing the state Kazakh, interethnic Russian, international English and/or other local languages such as Uzbek and Arabic. We demonstrate how these languages are involved in the creation of symbolic meanings and attraction of potential consumers and contribute to the construction of the urban space of the western region of Kazakhstan. We provide illustrations of the ever-growing presence of English in multilingual written urban texts of the region as a symbol of modernity, high quality, innovation, technical progress and prestige. We also show the indexical potential of the Kazakh and Russian languages as markers of local affiliation and tradition, and the Uzbek and Arabic languages as symbols of the Turkic and Islamic cultures.
commercial public sign , Kazakhstan , linguistic landscape , translanguaging , urban linguistics
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Department of World Languages, Faculty of Philology, K. Zhubanov Aktobe Regional University, Aktobe, Kazakhstan
Department of Russian Philology, Faculty of Philology, M. Utemisov West Kazakhstan University, Uralsk, Kazakhstan
Department of Russian Philology and Intercultural Communication, Faculty of Philology, K. Zhubanov Aktobe Regional University, Aktobe, Kazakhstan
Department of World Languages
Department of Russian Philology
Department of Russian Philology and Intercultural Communication
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