KAZAKH-ENGLISH LANGUAGE CONTACTS: AN ANALYSIS OF CODE SWITCHING USED BY BILINGUAL KAZAKHS

ABSTRACT

Linguistic science at the turn of the century is characterized by a special interest in the problem of language contacts, due to the processes of dynamic development of modern society, integration and globalization phenomena, as well as the expansion of interethnic contacts in the world community. The issues of language contacts are of particular importance in relation to the realities of Kazakhstani society, where the language picture represents a unique linguistic space in which two functionally powerful language communities (Kazakh and Russian) coexist, as a result of which this issue requires careful consideration. The object of the research is the speech activity of bilingual Kazakhs in the context of Kazakh-English artificial bilingualism.

The purpose of the study is to carry out a comprehensive study of the universal and specific mechanisms of the Kazakh-English language interaction in the aspect of code switching on the example of a micro-social student bilingual community.

Keywords: Kazakh; English; code switching; bilingual.

In the context of global integration, the expansion of the information space and the rapid development of innovative technologies in the world community, the education system of the Republic of Kazakhstan is undergoing significant transformation. In the message to the citizens of Kazakhstan “Socio-economic modernization is the main vector of development of Kazakhstan” dated January 27, 2012, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N.A. Nazarbayev focuses on the qualitative growth of human capital in Kazakhstan, which implies, first of all, the modernization of the education system. At the same time, the Head of State emphasizes the fact that “the main advantage of our country is multinationality and multilingualism” and “one of the key success factors for the entire modernization process is the success of updating the national education system”.

The following assumptions about conversational analysis are important in our study: First, conversational analysis is based on the assumption that speech is a social act. In this regard, the provisions of the conversational-analytical approach are consonant with the ideas of the theory of speech acts [1, p 118]: During a conversation, people perform actions such as a promise, a message, and a threat. It should be noted that in the theory of speech acts, scientists consider different ways of performing one speech action, and cross-analysts are interested in studying different ways of transmitting one speech action. Secondly, in conversational analysis, conversation (speech) is considered as an ordered action. In this context, the main function of the cross-analyst is to describe the order of the utterance, and the coherence of the speech actions of the communicants is considered here as a sequence of speech interaction.

We conducted an experiment to analyze the sequences of corrections during switching from English to Kazakh (Russian) in order to achieve understanding in the process of communicative interaction in an institutional context. The main tasks are related to the questions of why and how codes are switched in students' speech when solving certain problems. The experiment involved students of the 1st year of study in the major "Foreign language: two foreign languages". Tasks are built on the basis of the text. Students of the Kazakh department participated in the experiment.

Sociolinguistic characteristics of students are shown in Table 1.

Table 1

Sociolinguistic characteristics of students

The study is based on audio recordings conducted in online classes in the discipline "Home Reading". This lesson was devoted to the consolidation of knowledge. The subjects were given the task to prepare for a discussion of the old fairy tale "The Selfish Giant" by Oscar Wilde. In this part, the results of two tasks are considered, in which students studied in pairs and in groups. Both tasks are institutional types of tasks; interaction with peers is strictly organized.

The first task included pair and group work. The subjects were asked to work first in pairs, then in a group. According to the purpose of these tasks, students designed and asked questions to each other, first in pairs, then in a group. The content of the questions and answers is based on the home reading text "The Selfish Giant" by Oscar Wilde. The second task included a brief retelling of the tale. The students worked in pairs. The work was organized in such a way that one student began to retell; the second student listened, after a certain time they changed roles. The teacher assigned a time approximately every two minutes.

The following example involves Zhangul and Asel. According to the instructions given by the teacher, they ask each other questions.

1 Zhangul: mmm was he a selfish Giant at the beginning?

2 (1.7)

3 Asel: ahh (0.5) could you repeat the question, please?

4 Zhangul: was he a selfish Giant at the beginning?

5 (1.6)

6 Asel: was he a eh (.) WHAT giant? Қандай алып?

7 (0.8)

8 Zhangul: eeeh (1.7) selfish eeem (2.9) ↓ эгоистичный, самолюбимый

9 (1.6)

10 Zhangul: ehmm (1.5), өзімшіл. (1.5) Ол өзімшіл алып болды ма басында?

11 Asel: aaaah! Yeah, ↓ he was a selfish Giant at the beginning!

Zhangul asked a question about the Giant in English. The question was followed by a short pause, which may indicate a misunderstanding of the question. Asel asked to repeat the question in English, which also indicates her lack of understanding of this question. Zhangul repeated her question, but Asel did not answer this question. Instead, Asel initiates a correction, asked the question again, emphasizing the word “What”. Following this question, Asel switched to Kazakh, repeating the same question in Kazakh: Қандай алып? (What giant?). In this case, it is clear that Asel did not understand the word "selfish" in English, which indicates the student's linguistic competence. There was a pause after the question. Then Zhangul repeated the word "selfish" in English, after this word there was a long pause, after which Zhangul switched to Russian, citing such synonyms for this word in Russian as " эгоистичный, самолюбимый" (selfish, self-absorbed). Only after a pause, Zhangul switched to the Kazakh language, repeating the given word in Kazakh. Switching first to Russian may mean that the active vocabulary of Zhangul is dominated by the influence of the Russian language. As shown in the sociolinguistic profile of students, Zhangul was born in Petropavlovsk, which is the northernmost city and borders the Russian Federation. The influence of the Russian language in this region is very strong. Zhangul during classes uses Russian more often than Kazakh. In general, the Russian language, which is the language of interethnic communication, is understood by almost all residents of the country. Zhangul initiated a correction and repeated her question in Kazakh. Switching first to Russian, as mentioned earlier, is due to the consequences of historical events and the policy of the former USSR in relation to the Russian language. The majority of young people are fluent in Russian. Switching Zhangul to Russian clearly demonstrates this fact. Zhangul could not immediately find the equivalent of this word in the Kazakh language, only then she switched to the Kazakh language. After understanding the meaning of the question in Line 11, Asel gave an answer to the question asked.

In this study, we tried to consider the issues of switching codes when organizing corrections in a foreign language class. In general, the results of the study show that switching to the Kazakh (Russian) language serves as a means of understanding in the organization of corrections. Switching codes in the organization of corrections may occur due to dissatisfaction of the speaker with the solution of corrections.

A feature of the organization of corrections in the Kazakh educational community is the switching of codes not only to the Kazakh language, but also to the Russian language. This phenomenon is explained by the existing unique linguistic situation in Kazakhstan, the origins of which go back to the period of the USSR, when the policy of Russification was pursued. When switching, students have two codes in their arsenal - Kazakh and Russian. Switching to Russian or Kazakh may mean that switching always depends on the language competence of the speaker and initiator of the correction.

In general, the analysis of the above examples allows us to draw the following conclusions:

1) Switching codes in students' speech, in most cases, occurs when organizing corrections.

2) When organizing corrections, the most common are a) self-initiated self-correction, b) self-initiated correction performed by another, and c) probable understanding occurring by switching to the native language.

3) The initiation of corrections by switching codes occurs: a) for the purpose of understanding, b) for the purpose of confirmation, c) for the purpose of clarification (candidate understanding) of what was said.

4) Switching codes in the classroom in English classes, taking into account the peculiarities of the language situation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, can occur from English to Kazakh or from English to Russian, depending on which language is dominant in the speech activity of the speaker.

References:

1. Austin J.L. Philosophical Papers. - London, Oxford University Press, 1961. –P. 118.
2. Message of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N. Nazarbayev to the people of Kazakhstan. Strategy "Kazakhstan-2050" - The new political course of the established state. - Astana, 2012. - December 14. // [Electronic resource] // Access mode: http://www.akorda.kz/ru/page/page_poslanie-prezidenta-respubliki-kazakhstan-n-nazarbaeva-narodu-kazakhstana-14-dekabrya-2012-g_1357813742