We met with Aнар Фазылжанова, a candidate of philological sciences and the director of the Institute of Linguistics named after Akhmet Baitursynuly, in her office within the institute building, which she has headed since 2020. The first thing that caught my eye was a large monitor, on which the website qazcorpus.kz, the electronic corpus of the Kazakh language, was soon showcased. As someone actively creating and supporting content in the Kazakh language, I was surprised to discover that I was unaware of the existence of qazcorpus.kz. We discussed with Aнар Фазылжанова the state of the Kazakh language and its role in modern society.
Aнар Muratovna, can you share how your life path led you to the leadership of the Institute of Linguistics named after Akhmet Baitursynuly?
— I was born in the village of Zhansugurov in the Aksu district of Almaty region. My father was a historian, and my mother taught mathematics. I grew up surrounded by books and discussions about science, and this certainly left its mark. During my childhood, we moved around due to my father's job, but it was in Zhansugurov that I graduated from school with a gold medal.
Mathematics was my first love, and I even planned to follow in my mother's footsteps. However, my father, who dedicated his life to history and loved it dearly, was surprised by my choice. I vividly remember how he sincerely asked, "Don't you want to become a historian like me?" But there was no specialty "historian" in Taldykorgan, and I planned to go to Almaty. My father, having had a bitter experience of hungry student life in Almaty, did not want me to repeat his path. Thus, I chose the specialty "Russian language and literature in Kazakh schools, with history as an additional subject" at the Zhetysu State University named after Ilyas Zhansugurov. This was a compromise between my desire and respect for my father's opinion.
My father always guided me in educational matters. After graduating from university, he suggested that I pursue a postgraduate degree. He asked where I would like to apply. My dream had always been to study in Almaty, at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, and I decided that this time I would fulfill my dream, no matter the cost. Fortunately, my father did not object this time, and we went together to Almaty to submit my documents to the university. But fate had its own plans for me once again. There, we coincidentally met Oral Kozhakhmetov, a university professor, a German language instructor, and our fellow countryman who had once been my father's teacher.
Upon learning about our plans, he suggested I go to the Institute of Linguistics named after Akhmet Baitursynuly, the only center that he believed was preparing the best scientific personnel for the Kazakh language. Since then, I have been working here, and the institute has become not just a workplace for me, but a second home. In 2020, I had the honor of leading it.
The Institute named after Akhmet Baitursynuly is a significant scientific center. What are you particularly proud of in its work?
— Our institute has borne the name of Akhmet Baitursynuly since 1990, from the very first years of Kazakhstan's independence. When I took on the role of director, our scholars decided to establish a department of Akhmet studies to delve deeper into his legacy. This allowed us to focus all research related to Baitursynuly in one place. Not everyone knows that Akhmet Baitursynuly was at the forefront of the development of modern academic science in Kazakhstan. In 1926, while working at the present-day Abai University, he created the Academy Center and commissioned the Alash figures to write Kazakh textbooks in various fields of science. Thus, Alihan Bokeikhanov wrote a textbook on astronomy, Alimhan Ermekov wrote a textbook on mathematics, Magzhan Zhumabaev wrote a textbook on pedagogy, Jusupbek Aimautov wrote a textbook on psychology, and Akhmet Baitursynov himself wrote a textbook on linguistics. In 1992, thanks to academician Rabiga Syzdykova, a prominent scholar of the institute, the works of Akhmet Baitursynuly, edited by her (with the compilers now being professors Garifolla Anes and Amankos Mektepov), were published for the first time in Cyrillic in the collection "Tіl taǵylymy". Rabiga Syzdykova published a brief biography of Akhmet Baitursynuly in 1990, introducing it into scientific circulation. There is a separate website of the Institute ahmettanu.kz dedicated to Akhmet studies.
Our institute deals with a wide range of issues related to the Kazakh language: its structure, history, dialectology, onomastics, and terminology. We have also opened departments of sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics—two new fields that help understand the language from different perspectives. To put it simply: if the science of the Kazakh language ceases to develop, the responsibility for this will lie with our institution.
Despite the successes, there are opinions that the Kazakh language is not developing sufficiently. How do you respond to such claims?
— First and foremost, it is essential to understand that the audience of science is specific. If there are many people engaged in science in society, then that society will be further from destructive thinking. Science does not always yield loud discoveries, but even mid-level work is important. Unfortunately, we currently have more of such research. Many dissertations in philology are defended in Kazakhstan, but we need to intensify this process so that scientific discoveries have a more significant impact. Critics often argue that the Kazakh language is weak in society and that the results of our work are not noticeable. But this is not the case. Theoretical research by linguists through practical means—textbooks, manuals, dictionaries, educational materials, texts intended for a wide audience—reflects in all spheres of life. Scientific research by linguists is beneficial for everyone—from children just learning to speak to elderly people reading newspapers. We consume the results of these studies daily without realizing that behind every correctly written or pronounced word lies immense work.
The second aspect concerns personal will. Today, for those who want to learn the Kazakh language, all the necessary conditions are available. However, many parents send their children to Russian schools, believing that there is a better education. These are stereotypes that can play a cruel joke in the future. Language is not just a means of communication; it is the heritage of ancestors, culture, and a powerful code of human identity. There are enough educational materials for learning the Kazakh language, but they need to be utilized. We know that the materials for learning English are of better quality. However, the quality of textbooks depends on the users. If no one uses these materials, how can they improve? Users must actively engage with them, provide feedback to enhance their quality. Globalization also plays its part. The language of a nation that is strong in the information space and economy transcends its country and time, conquering other cultural and temporal spaces. Our task is to create quality content in the Kazakh language.
How important is the role of language in business and everyday life? What can promote its development?
— Language is not only a means of communication but also the foundation of the economy. It is important for business to transition to the Kazakh language, as this will elevate the prestige of the language and make it more in demand. We see that companies conducting business in Kazakh are achieving success. Linguoeconomics is a new field that studies the relationship between language and economy. One of my doctoral students, Akmaral Piyazbaeva, is writing a dissertation on this topic. We believe that language can be a powerful tool for economic development, and this is precisely what we are trying to prove in our research.
Recently, there was news that starting from September 2024, Kazakh language classes will commence at Oxford. I know that this involves significant work by the Institute of Linguistics. Please tell us more about this important event.
— For us, it is also a significant achievement that our language will be taught at such a prestigious educational institution. It all began with the wish of Miras Daulenov, now the rector of Coventry University Kazakhstan, to connect us with Oxford. He met Leila Nadjafzadeh—a representative of the Nizami Ganjavi Center at Wolfson College, which trains specialists in Oriental studies. Ms. Leila, along with several Oxford specialists in Turkic languages and cultures, formed the initiative group "Birsöz". They later visited us and decided to include the Kazakh language in their curriculum.