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Kazakhstan is changing its alphabet from Cyrillic to Latin-based

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

#101

Post by bonzini »

rasz wrote: post #66
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…

Did Russia send Kazakh people to gulags for speaking/teaching own language like it did in Poland, Ukraine and many other places? Might have something to do with resentment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russification

Or with wanting to _decrease_ the % of the economy that depends on Russia.

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

#102

Post by amaccuish »

jsgo wrote: post #72
c-smile wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"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 previo…

The second letter in both those words is the same. The first character differs, the next does not.

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

#103

Post by kingofhdds »

LifeLiverTransp wrote: post #50
adventured wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> When overwhelming majority of people speak Russian and Russia is the most important trade partner, I think that it's only logical to have Russian as one of the official languages in the country It makes perfect sense if you want to move away from Russia to dramatically broaden your national potential over time. Russia has a very modest economy versus its population size. Canada and South Korea have overtaken it, an…

Those dreams of glorious pasts are usually very self-defeating (lots of costly police actions in former colonys) with no visibile reward - and thus not half as dangerous as internalized past injustices. Nazi Germany, Japan, and alot of other countrys got drunk on the injustices of the past and used them to justify atrocities in neighbouring countrys. If it were not for the nukes, alot of those nationalist movements w…

>Nazi Germany, Japan, and alot of other countrys got drunk

Isn't it the Godwin's Law in action? I seriously doubt that getting out of Russian influence means something apocalyptic. Estonia, for instance, does well, and I'm old enough to remember Russian newspapers predicting its collapse without Russian "big brother".

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

#104

Post by shmerl »

rasz wrote: post #66
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…

Did Russia send Kazakh people to gulags for speaking/teaching own language like it did in Poland, Ukraine and many other places? Might have something to do with resentment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russification

During Stalin, it was the general policy to suppress national languages.

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ru&tl=en&js=y&prev...

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

#105

Post by FRex »

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…

No way every book, websites, etc. gets rewritten, so between everyone knowing Cyrillic, lots of people knowing Russian and how easy Cyrillic is (I know it and I learned it very quickly) it'll end in a de facto digraphia.

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

#106

Post by amaccuish »

emodendroket wrote: post #73
jacquesm wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

Actually it's more common than you think. I've lived in Russia, Germany and France, each with varying levels of proficiency in English. Many people know basic English but not much more. If you're not a tourist then it's more likely than not that someone you meet has a low level of English.

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

#107

Post by paulryanrogers »

LifeLiverTransp wrote: post #50
adventured wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> When overwhelming majority of people speak Russian and Russia is the most important trade partner, I think that it's only logical to have Russian as one of the official languages in the country It makes perfect sense if you want to move away from Russia to dramatically broaden your national potential over time. Russia has a very modest economy versus its population size. Canada and South Korea have overtaken it, an…

Those dreams of glorious pasts are usually very self-defeating (lots of costly police actions in former colonys) with no visibile reward - and thus not half as dangerous as internalized past injustices. Nazi Germany, Japan, and alot of other countrys got drunk on the injustices of the past and used them to justify atrocities in neighbouring countrys. If it were not for the nukes, alot of those nationalist movements w…

Did you mean "tread lightly"?

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

#108

Post by Symbiote »

Lionsion wrote: post #95
jsgo wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish we would. Conversions would be so much simpler.

> I wish we would. Conversions would be so much simpler. Not really, and you'd have to do it more frequently. The US already has a standard, and a lot of existing stuff built to it. Adopting the metric system isn't going to change the size of the pipes in my house's plumbing, the units in my recipes and cookbooks, etc.

My grandma's (British) cookbooks have pounds and ounces [1]. My mother's have grams, and ounces in brackets.

Mine only have grams.

There's little reason to convert a recipe in any case, assuming you won't forget how to use "English" units.

[1] Different sizes to yours, naturally. At least the fluid ones.

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

#109

Post by shmerl »

vbezhenar wrote: post #60
adventured wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> When overwhelming majority of people speak Russian and Russia is the most important trade partner, I think that it's only logical to have Russian as one of the official languages in the country It makes perfect sense if you want to move away from Russia to dramatically broaden your national potential over time. Russia has a very modest economy versus its population size. Canada and South Korea have overtaken it, an…

You can move away from Russia as a person. You can't move away from Russia as a country. Those countries are just next to one other, their border probably longer than Europe's perimeter. You have to think for hundreds of years when you're talking about breaking relationships between nations. Putin will die in max 30 years, probably earlier. He's extremely unlikely to be the next Russia's President. Russia might turn…

> You can't move away from Russia as a country.

Russia pretty much caused Georgia and Ukraine to do it, thanks to the absurd aggression of the Russian mafia government. So surely you can, if there is enough will for it. First major step should be reducing economic dependency.

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

#110

Post by dghughes »

eloff wrote: post #77
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.

I wouldn't say located in one region I mean sure Quebec has a lot of French speakers now but so do other regions in Canada. Look at Ontario, NB (majority there too?), even NS and PEI, plus don't forget Metis in the prairies.

Hell a story on D'Arcy McGee a few days ago mentioned the majority of the population of Montreal was Irish in the late 1800s.

Maybe more accurate is the majority of French speakers are concentrated in southern Quebec?

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