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Kazakhstan is changing its alphabet from Cyrillic to Latin-based

bbc.com

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Re: Kazakhstan is changing its alphabet from Cyrillic to Latin-based

#71

Post by emodendroket »

jsgo wrote: post #43
jsgo wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay, how about this then: If it is in Latin script, the tourists from countries with Latin-based languages can phonetically butcher whatever it is they're attempting to communicate with the other party. If it is in Cyrillic script, the tourists from countries with Latin-based languages can just stare at a person blankly or point at words on paper/signage if the other party is close enough. Provided they traveled at…

while I think it seems pretty reasonable to assume that their tourists are currently from countries with Cyrillic-based languages, they're making a concerted effort to draw more Western audiences. How that'll play out, not sure, but I don't think the premise is silly.

I expect that this change will make almost no difference, if not no difference at all, in that respect, while imposing significant costs in other ways.

Re: Kazakhstan is changing its alphabet from Cyrillic to Latin-based

#72

Post by jsgo »

c-smile wrote: post #45
jsgo wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I speak English only. I find it much easier to translate either online or via English-to-X dictionary if the other language uses Latin script. Could it be done? I'm sure it is possible, but without previously interacting with them, not easily. I'll say this, for work I travel to Montreal at moderately regular intervals. Because everything is in French, it makes it a bit harder, but I can either: a) infer based off si…

"infer based off similarities to English words" English and French are both originated from Latin languages so are similarities. Try to read Turkish web site: http://www.mfa.gov.tr/default.tr.mfa , will its Latin alphabet help you? The site has English version so you can compare.

the quoted is one scenario if the similarity to words applies (this doesn't always apply in Spanish or French either).

But to your example, I'd feel more comfortable fumbling around looking in a English to Turkish book looking for D followed by i without dot (I'm sure it has a better name than that, but furthering the point where vaguely similar glyphs help), followed by s with a protruding curl at bottom (see previous parentheses), etc.

take "Лекарь (doctor), not Пекарь (baker)" from a comment lower in the page, I can't say for certain that I would have known the first two characters in each of the two words were different with maybe it being an analog to capitalization, cursive, italics or some other modification of an individual character.

Re: Kazakhstan is changing its alphabet from Cyrillic to Latin-based

#73

Post by emodendroket »

jacquesm wrote: post #63
jsgo wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I speak English only. I find it much easier to translate either online or via English-to-X dictionary if the other language uses Latin script. Could it be done? I'm sure it is possible, but without previously interacting with them, not easily. I'll say this, for work I travel to Montreal at moderately regular intervals. Because everything is in French, it makes it a bit harder, but I can either: a) infer based off si…

> I speak English only. That's the problem right there. Speaking only one language is super limiting.

If you are going to pick just one, English is a pretty good choice, because there are few places you can go where absolutely nobody speaks it.

Re: Kazakhstan is changing its alphabet from Cyrillic to Latin-based

#75

Post by basitmakine »

bobthepanda wrote: post #49
emodendroket wrote: post #6

The costs are not purely economic -- you will have people struggle to read in the new script and make old texts inaccessible to young people. Additionally, this isn't a case like Chinese where Romanization has the benefit of making it easier to acquire literacy. What is the benefit of this change? I find the claim in this article that using the same script to write their language is going to bring them closer to West…

Turkic languages are split between Cyrillic, Latin, and Arabic-based scripts. Kazakhs in Turkey, for example, already write in Latin script. Is there an issue with Turkish scholarship of history since Ataturk pushed Latin-based alphabet?

Literacy rate skyrocketed after switching to Latin from Ottoman Turkish alphabet

Re: Kazakhstan is changing its alphabet from Cyrillic to Latin-based

#76

Post by rasz »

DenisM wrote: post #20

90 years ago similar Latinization was attempted in Russia itself: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latinisation_in_the_Soviet_U...

Small committee running for a year and dying under Stalins boot is hardly an attempt, especially in the face of previous 100 years of intense Russification.

Re: Kazakhstan is changing its alphabet from Cyrillic to Latin-based

#77

Post by eloff »

vbezhenar wrote: post #17

I'm ethnical Russian living in Kazakhstan and I think that it's not a very wise decision. As correctly written in the article, overwhelming majority of Kazakhstani citizens speak and write Russian well. I just don't see any point with this change, but costs are tremendous, you have to rewrite every single book including learning books, you have to replace every street plate. When overwhelming majority of people speak…

I don't think Canada is a great example, since the vast majority of native French speakers are located in only one region. There is a stronger case for English Spanish bilingualism in the US than French English in Canada.

With Kazakhstan, I can totally see the case for equal status of Russian.

Re: Kazakhstan is changing its alphabet from Cyrillic to Latin-based

#78

Post by mynegation »

y_molodtsov wrote: post #19
emodendroket wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does it really make a difference to you if all the (from your perspective, as a visitor) unintelligible gibberish is written in Latin script rather than some other script?

I guess all people who think that way should visit Hungary and try to read the signs there.

When glyphs are recognizable, it is still better. If not for informational messages, at least names of the locations can be somewhat recalled. Let's say I drive and I need to go to Székesfehérvár. I have only a slightest idea how to pronounce it, but I will recognize it. Much harder to do if you need to drive to กรุงเทพมหานคร
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