How other countries switched to Latin writing. Latin translator online

A meeting of the National Coalition of Democratic Forces "Kazakhstan-2050" dedicated to the transition of the Kazakh language to the Latin alphabet was held. Politicians and representatives of ethno-cultural associations of Kazakhstan spoke at it. Each of them expressed his opinion about the upcoming language reform.

Mukhtar Kul-Mukhammed / Photo site

The first deputy chairman of the Nur Otan party noted that the decision of the President to switch the Kazakh language to the Latin alphabet was taken very timely - exactly when Kazakhstan has already established itself as one of the most respected states in the world, when stability, harmony and unity of the people reign in the country. The transition to the Latin alphabet should be the basis of spiritual modernization, which solves several important tasks at once, he believes.

"The transition to the Latin alphabet based on English alphabet solves a trinity problem. Firstly, it creates favorable conditions for mass mastery of the English language, integrating us into the global English-speaking world. Secondly, it opens up new opportunities for access to the latest achievements of science and technology. Thirdly, it unites all Kazakhs living in more than forty countries of the world. By switching to the Latin alphabet, we are modernizing the modern Kazakh language, improving its grammar," said Mukhtar Kul-Mukhammed.

The rich heritage of Kazakh literature, according to him, will be transferred to electronic format and converted into Latin, from which national culture and literature will only expand its horizons. As for the Russian language, the country is not going to abandon it, preserving bilingualism.

Julia Kuchinskaya / Photo site

Center Director political analysis and strategic studies of the "Nur Otan" party called the transition to the Latin alphabet truly historical event in the life of our state.

"The translation of the Kazakh language into Latin script is our sovereign choice. According to opinion polls conducted by the Center for Political Analysis and sociological research, the vast majority of citizens support this choice," the specialist said.

The lexical part of the language, according to her, is considered the most flexible and mobile, subject to change. In the conditions of modernization, accelerated technological and scientific development, new terms and phrases appear in speech every day, and, as a rule, these are words borrowed from English and other languages ​​in Latin.

"Language modern science- it's Latin. According to various estimates, annually from 55 to 75% of scientific literature in the world is published in languages ​​using the Latin alphabet. Among the 12.5 million articles published in 2005-2015 in the top 15 advanced countries in the Webof Sceince database, 75.2% were published in Latin, while only 2.4% were in Cyrillic. It is significant that the difference between the growth scientific knowledge in Latin and Cyrillic is significant. For example, among the 1.4 million patents issued in the top ten scientifically advanced countries, 61% of patents are issued in countries using the Latin alphabet, and only 2.7% are issued in countries using the Cyrillic alphabet," Yulia Kuchinskaya cited research data.

"In this context, it is important that neologisms are fixed in the Kazakh language according to the rules of word formation of the Kazakh language. As a result, our official language will be enriched, modernized, the process of the immune mechanism of the language will be resumed," she added.

Zhambyl Akhmetbekov / Photo site

A member of the Mazhilis of the Parliament from the CPPK said that the Communists welcome the return of the Latin script to the Kazakh language. In the age of globalization and explosive development information technologies the issue of language modernization, according to him, is directly related to the country's competitiveness and strategic development issues - the level of innovation, the country's attractiveness and openness for investment, and the development of human capital.

"We believe that with the transition to the Latin script, our country will become more open and close to most of the peoples of the planet, because in modern world more than 75% of countries use the Latin alphabet. There are currently 6 Turkic states in the world. Kazakhstan will become the fifth state using the Latin alphabet. Further rapprochement and strengthening of Kazakhstan's relations with the fraternal countries of Central Asia and the states of the Caspian region - Azerbaijan, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan - is a very significant factor for integration and strengthening good neighborly relations," the Secretary of the Communist Party said.

"I think that there are all the necessary conditions for switching to the Latin alphabet. We have 100 percent literacy, almost every Kazakhstani de facto writes and reads in the Latin alphabet, using cell phones every day, browsing the Internet," he added.

After the publication of the presidential program "Rukhani Zhangyru", according to the deputy, many meetings were held with the population in all regions of the country. During these meetings, the communists personally made sure that the people of Kazakhstan show great interest in the program of spiritual modernization and support it, primarily on the issue of switching the state language to the Latin alphabet.

Yuri Timoshchenko / Photo site

The deputy of the Mazhilis of the Parliament in his speech reminded those present of how in the most important moments for the country the people unanimously supported the President. The decision to translate the Kazakh language into Latin, according to him, is another important process in the history of Kazakhstan, when citizens should once again show solidarity.

"This is a historical necessity. The return to the Latin script will give a powerful impetus to the popularization of the Kazakh language within the country. The Latin script is a basic element of the cultural openness of Kazakhstan to the whole world. As a student of the Kazakh language, having tried many methods and dozens of manuals, I special attention I got acquainted with the version of the alphabet presented at the Parliamentary hearings, and I can say with confidence that the new graphics are closer to the phonetic structure of the Kazakh language, which is why it should contribute to the study and dissemination of the state language. I fully support the proposed version of the Latin alphabet and call on all citizens of Kazakhstan to support this historic step for our nation," the parliamentarian said.

"While the world is being shaken by political, economic and religious cataclysms, Kazakhstan remains a symbol of stability and prosperity, this is certainly the merit of our Elbasy and all Kazakhstanis. I urge everyone to once again show their unity in the name of the future of our common Motherland - the Republic of Kazakhstan!" he added.

Bakhytzhan Ertaev / Photo site

The deputy of the Mazhilis of the Parliament called the transition of the Kazakh language to the Latin alphabet a grandiose reform. He spoke for the veterans' organization he heads. According to him, the Armed Forces of the country, participants in the hostilities in Afghanistan, "Chernobyl victims" always, without hesitation, support the decisions of Elbasy.

"As a military man, I know that victory has 3 components. This is a clear strategy, faith in victory and, of course, a loyal army. Thanks to the strategic course of Elbasy, Kazakhstan has achieved triumphant victories. A magnificent capital has been built, the pride of all Kazakhstanis - Astana. Successfully carried out international specialized exhibition EXPO-2017 "Future Energy", which has become the center of attraction for innovations, as well as millions of tourists from all over the world. Astana this year became the capital Shanghai Organization cooperation that unites more than half of humanity. And you and I are well aware that each of these achievements became possible thanks to the strategic gift and will of our Elbasy. Therefore, I, like all military personnel and veterans armed forces I believe in my Commander-in-Chief," Bakhytzhan Yertayev said.

The transition to the Latin alphabet, he said, will take some time, so it is important that today's initiative be continued by the younger generation of Kazakhstanis. It is important that our youth actively participate in the life and further construction of the country. Not only their future, the future of their families, but also the prosperity of our country as a whole depends on their contribution, he concluded his speech.

Chairman of the board public association"National Cultural Center "Belarus" Leonid Pitalenko noted that annually in the world about 40 languages ​​disappear. The reasons for the disappearance of languages ​​are different, but they are united by the inability of the language to adapt to new changing conditions. More than 70 languages ​​disappeared in Europe and Asia Minor, more than 100 languages ​​in the USA. As of today, almost 200 languages ​​are endangered in India. The modernization of the Kazakh language and the transition to the Latin alphabet are necessary conditions for the survival and development of the language.

"Languages ​​that do not develop are doomed to oblivion. Therefore, the importance of the transition to the Latin alphabet for the development and strengthening of the Kazakh language can not be overestimated. The Latin alphabet is a tool of modern communication. The transition of the Kazakh language to the Latin alphabet will enrich the state language, which will preserve its originality and originality of the sound system ", - considers the chairman of the board of the Public Association "National Cultural Center "Belarus".

Modernization, according to him, is taking place in many Slavic languages, including Russian and Belarusian.

"It should be noted that it is the Latin alphabet that is currently the leader in the global information space. Even in countries such as India, China and Japan, where traditional writing is used, English is used as much as possible in the field of business and technology development. Today, all conditions have been created for the transition Kazakh language into Latin alphabet Society, state, all social groups, youth, representatives of business and science de facto use the Latin script," he noted.

Vadim Salakhov / Photo from inform.kz

President of the "Union of Azerbaijani cultural centers Kazakhstan", Dr. historical sciences Vidadi Salakhov said that the initiative of Nursultan Nazarbayev regarding the transition of the Kazakh alphabet to the Latin alphabet aroused great interest among representatives of the Turkic states.

"My friends and relatives living in other Turkic-speaking countries received this news with great enthusiasm. Because it will further bring together the Turkic-speaking countries, most of which use the Latin script. Information in the Kazakh language, including poetry, literature, history, science will become more accessible for our brothers living abroad, for foreigners studying the Kazakh language.The legacy of the great Abai, Magzhan Zhumabaev can be read without translation by any schoolchild in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan," he said.

The reform of the alphabet, according to him, has a great practical value. It is much easier for a first-grader to learn 25 Latin letters than 42 Cyrillic letters.

"In French 35 phonemes, in English - 45. These numerous phonemes are transmitted only 26 with Latin letters. And in the Kazakh language, 28 primordial sounds-phonemes are transmitted by 42 letters. Therefore, it is much more difficult for our schoolchild to learn Kazakh than for a small European to learn his English or French. The proposed alphabet based on the Latin alphabet consists of 25 sounds," Vidadi Salakhov said.

He recalled that the need to reduce letters in the Kazakh alphabet was written by the first professor of Kazakh philology Kudaibergen Zhubanov. In 1935, he prepared a project to change the spelling and alphabet of the Kazakh language based on the Latin alphabet, which proposed to reduce the number of letters. The ideas expressed by scientists more than half a century ago have not lost their relevance and are reflected in the new proposed alphabet.

"I carefully studied this version of the alphabet, compared its capabilities with the capabilities of the alphabets of other Turkic languages, repeatedly discussed this issue with specialists, colleagues, including those living in other countries, and I believe that this project of the Latin alphabet is the best option for a full reflection specifics of the Kazakh language.The Kazakh Latin alphabet turned out to be more perfect due to the fact that when preparing the alphabet problematic issues that other countries encountered during the transition to the Latin alphabet," the doctor of historical sciences concluded.

Ikram Khashimzhanov / Photo from inform.kz

The chairman of the Uzbek ethno-cultural association of the South Kazakhstan region believes that further technical modernization cannot be carried out without spiritual modernization, which is why the President put forward the idea of ​​modernization public consciousness. The return of the Kazakh language to the Latin alphabet, according to him, is a historic step not only for Kazakhstan, but for the entire Turkic world, as it is the basis for strengthening friendship and ties with the fraternal peoples of Central Asia - Azerbaijan and Turkey.

"I consider the main advantage of the new alphabet to be the wide possibilities of using the entire phonetic diversity of not only Kazakh, but also all Turkic languages. It can be used for any of them, as well as their dialects, without any obstacles. The developers managed to avoid the mistakes of their neighbors. I am sure that taking into account the experience of Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan will make the introduction of the Latin alphabet in Kazakhstan successful," he said.

April 12, 2017 Nursultan Nazarbayev: scientists and members of the public must accept a single standard for the new Kazakh alphabet and graphics. At the end of this year, the standards should already be ready, and business documentation, periodicals, textbooks should be translated into Latin by 2025. At the same time, he explained that the transition to the Latin alphabet entails the rejection of the Russian language.

The transition of the Kazakh language to the Latin alphabet is part of the large-scale program of the President for the modernization of consciousness, presented by him in the strategic article "Bolashakka bagdar: ruhani zhangyru".

Enter text in Russian letters:

Translate Clear

How will it be in Latin letters:

Why translate Russian letters into Latin?

Since Russia is not yet a very rich country in our country and most companies cannot afford to organize the distribution of free samples to advertise their product, at the moment most of the freebie offers come from abroad.

Since the most common language is English, the order forms for free samples are often in English.

Address information and full name of the recipient in such forms must be filled in Latin. Since both our postmen and those companies that distribute freebies will understand the Latin alphabet.

If you write in Russian, then there is a risk that the organizers of the action simply do not want to spend time translating and understanding what is written there.

If you write in English, then our postmen will not understand to whom and where to deliver.

by the most the best option is to write the freebie delivery address and the full name of the freebie recipient in Latin.

Now the Internet is full of different translators, but most of them are either not convenient, or they need to be searched for a long time.

We offer to constantly use our free translator of Russian text into Latin.

When you order a freebie through forms written in English, then write the delivery address and full name in Latin.

Translate Russian text into Latin will allow our free, simple and convenient service. When we order samples from foreign sites, we always do this and it's a freebie, not always of course :-), but it comes. So the way is correct.

The new Kazakh alphabet, based on the Latin script, was approved by the decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev.

“I decide to approve the attached alphabet of the Kazakh language, based on the Latin script,” reads the decree, published on the website of the head of state on October 27.

The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic should form a national commission, as well as ensure the transition of the Kazakh language from Cyrillic to Latin script. The government has been given a deadline of up to 2025 to implement the project.

Recall that earlier Nazarbayev ordered the government to create a detailed schedule for the translation of the state language into Latin. As early as 2018, the country will begin training specialists and teaching aids to learn a new alphabet.

It should be noted that the translation of the national language from Cyrillic into the Latin alphabet was carried out earlier by Moldova, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. According to experts, the experience of Azerbaijan can be considered the most successful - rather quickly overcoming the difficulties of the transition period, the country switched to a new script. But in Uzbekistan, the translation into Latin took place only partially - the population continues to actively use the familiar Cyrillic alphabet.

In Kyrgyzstan, they also talk about the need to switch to the Latin alphabet. For example, Kanybek Imanaliev, a deputy from the Ata Meken faction, came up with such an initiative earlier. However, this idea ran into criticism from the head of state - according to the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Almazbek Atambaev (whose term expires on November 30), the arguments of the supporters of the Latin alphabet sound unconvincing.

“Each time the desire to change the alphabet is given a new explanation. Here, for example, is such a reason: the Latin alphabet is the alphabet of all developed countries, the transition to the Latin alphabet will help the development of the country's economy. But did the fact that they use hieroglyphs prevent Japan and Korea? - the politician noted, speaking at the international forum "Altai Civilization and kindred peoples Altai language family". At the same time, the use of the Latin alphabet in a number of African countries did not help them escape poverty at all, the politician added.

According to Atambaev, another popular argument is also untenable, according to which this measure will help unite the Turkic peoples. “For hundreds of centuries, the Turkish language already in the 19th century had little resemblance to the language of the Turkic Khagans,” Atambayev said.

spirit of the times

For their part, the authorities of Kazakhstan explain the rejection of the Cyrillic alphabet by the requirements of the era.

“The transition to the Latin alphabet is not a whim, it is a trend of the times. When I talk about an able-bodied state, I am talking about able-bodied citizens. You need to know the international language - English, because everything advanced rests on it, ”Nursultan Nazarbayev believes.

In addition, Astana believes that this measure will help rally the Kazakh community, including those Kazakhs who live abroad.

Recall that until the 10th century, the population of the territories of modern Kazakhstan used the ancient Turkic script, from the 10th to the 20th - almost a thousand years - the Arabic script was used. The spread of Arabic script and language began against the backdrop of the Islamization of the region.

In 1929, by a decree of the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, the Latinized Unified Turkic alphabet was introduced in the Kazakh territories.

Note that in the 1920s, the young Republic of Turkey switched to the Latin script of the alphabet - such a decision was made by Kemal Atatürk as part of a campaign to combat clericalism.

• Reuters
• Ilya Naymushin

In the 1930s, Soviet-Turkish relations deteriorated markedly. According to a number of historians, this cooling was one of the factors that pushed Moscow to abandon the use of the Latin alphabet in national republics. In 1940, the USSR adopted the law “On the transfer of Kazakh writing from Latinized to a new alphabet based on Russian graphics”.

It should be noted that Ankara has been most actively promoting the idea of ​​turning to “general Turkic roots”, which over the past decades has been striving to attract the former Soviet republics into its orbit of influence. The ideas of pan-Turkism, actively promoted by the Turkish side, serve as a tool for the implementation of Ankara's ambitious plans. Recall that for the first time the concept of pan-Turkism was formulated in the newspaper "Translator-Terdzhiman", published in Bakhchisarai by publicist Ismail Gasprinsky in late XIX century.

The creation of a single Turkic alphabet is an old dream of the ideologists of Turkic unity, such attempts have been made more than once. One of the most successful dates back to 1991 - following the results of an international scientific symposium held in Istanbul, a unified alphabet for the Turkic peoples was created. The basis for it was the Latin graphics of the Turkish alphabet. The new alphabet was adopted in Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. True, later Baku made a number of changes to the Turkic alphabet, and Tashkent and Ashgabat completely abandoned it.

Although Kazakhstan accepts Active participation in Turkic integration projects (for example, he is a member of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States. — RT) and cooperates on a number of fronts with Ankara, to exaggerate Turkish influence in Central Asia Not worth it, experts say.

“The translation of the Kazakh language into Latin is welcomed by Ankara, the Turkish side has long been promoting the idea of ​​​​a common Turkic alphabet in Latin, but Turkish influence has many limitations that cannot be overcome with the help of linguistic measures alone,” said the head of the Central Asia and Kazakhstan Department of the Institute of CIS Countries in an interview with RT Andrei Grozin. - Of course, Ankara is interested in creating additional incentives for the consolidation of the Turkic world, in which it plays a leading role. However, in this case, the role of Turkey should not be overestimated.”

"Destiny of Ukraine"

Recall, according to the Constitution of Kazakhstan, the state language of the republic is Kazakh, and the Russian language is officially used “on a par with Kazakh” in state bodies.

“The state takes care of creating conditions for the study and development of the languages ​​of the people of Kazakhstan,” the basic law of the Republic of Kazakhstan says.

The reform of the alphabet will affect only the Kazakh language, the authorities of the republic emphasize.

“I especially want to emphasize once again that the transition of the Kazakh language to the Latin alphabet in no way affects the rights of the Russian-speaking, Russian and other languages. The status of the use of the Russian language remains unchanged, it will function in the same way as it functioned before, ”the press service of the head of the Republic of Kazakhstan quotes Nursultan Nazarbayev as saying.

• Nursultan Nazarbaev
• globallookpress.com
• Kremlin Pool/Global Look Press

It should be noted that the leadership of the republic considers any initiative to ban or restrict the use of the Russian language in the country harmful and dangerous.

“Suppose we legally ban all languages ​​except Kazakh. What awaits us then? The fate of Ukraine,” Nazarbayev told the Khabar TV channel in 2014. According to the politician, the role of the Kazakh language is growing naturally along with an increase in the number of Kazakhs.

“Is it necessary to forcibly bring everyone to the Kazakh language, but at the same time lose independence in bloodshed, or is it prudent to solve problems?” - added the head of the republic.

According to Andrey Grozin, the innovations will also partially affect the Russian-speaking population - after all, now all schoolchildren will have to learn the state language in a new transcription.

“True, the level of teaching of the Kazakh language in the country was not high before, and ethnic Russians do not speak it particularly well. Therefore, for the Russian-speaking residents of Kazakhstan, in fact, the changes will not be very noticeable,” the expert noted.

According to Grozin, the fact that no polls were conducted in Kazakhstan on such an important topic as changing the alphabet public opinion raises some doubts.

“Assessments were made only by individual representatives of the creative intelligentsia and public figures Grozin explained. — But there is no data about what opinion about the new alphabet prevails among the population. This may indicate that the authorities of the country understand that the level of approval of the reform among the population is very low.”

Astana values ​​relations with Moscow, the Kazakh leadership emphasizes that Russia "remains the number one partner for Kazakhstan both in politics and in the economy." Today, Kazakhstan and Russia are working together within the framework of a number of integration projects - the SCO, the CSTO, the Customs and Eurasian economic union. There is a visa-free regime between the countries, according to the 2010 census, 647 thousand ethnic Kazakhs live in Russia, about 20% of the population of Kazakhstan are Russians.

However, when it comes to the joint past, Astana changes the tone of statements. For example, Nazarbayev's speech, delivered in 2012 at the Kazakh-Turkish business forum held in Istanbul, made a great response.

“We live in the homeland of the entire Turkic people. After the last Kazakh Khan was killed in 1861, we were a colony Russian kingdom, then Soviet Union. For 150 years, the Kazakhs have almost lost their national traditions, customs, language, religion,” the head of the Republic of Kazakhstan said.

Nazarbayev repeated these theses in a milder form in his keynote article published in April 2017. According to the Kazakh leader, the 20th century taught the Kazakhs "in many respects tragic lessons", in particular, the natural path of national development” and “the Kazakh language and culture were almost lost.” Today, Kazakhstan must abandon those elements of the past that hinder the development of the nation, the article says.

Translation of the alphabet into Latin will allow Astana to implement this plan, experts say. True, the practical result of the introduction of such measures may not be development, but the split of the nation.

“The discussion about switching to the Latin alphabet began in Kazakhstan back in the mid-2000s, so there is no surprise in this decision,” Dmitry Aleksandrov, an expert on the countries of Central and Central Asia, explained in an interview with RT. — But for the Kazakh society, this step can turn into very ambiguous consequences. This will lead to the creation of a serious barrier between generations.”

According to the expert, the array of literature published in the Soviet and post-Soviet times will not be republished - this is simply impossible. Therefore, the result of the reform will be to limit the access of Kazakhstanis to their own cultural heritage.

• Graduates of one of the Alma-Ata schools during the celebration of the "Last Bell"
• RIA News
• Anatoly Ustinenko

“The experience of other states has shown that not only very old people, but even people of 40-50 years old, cannot retrain for a new transcription,” Andrey Grozin noted. “As a result, the baggage of knowledge they have accumulated will remain with them, regardless of their ideological orientation.”

Young generations will no longer know the past: translate into new graphics the entire volume of literature written in more than 70 years is simply impossible.

“In the same Uzbekistan, many intellectuals are already turning to the authorities with a request to return the old alphabet - over the years since the reform, a cultural and ideological gap has formed between generations. In such cases, we are talking about a split in society no longer along ethnic lines. Dividing lines are growing inside the titular ethnic group - and this is a very dangerous trend. The authorities of Kazakhstan declare the goal of the reform to be "modernization of consciousness", but if it happens, it will be only among the younger generation. It is also about the rejection of the Soviet past. It is no secret that the entire bulk of the literature of all the Central Asian republics is associated with the Cyrillic period, and only a very small number of texts were created in the “Arab” period,” the expert summed up.

The transition to the Latin script for the Kazakh language is one of the measures to increase the competitiveness of Kazakhstanis in the new global reality.

At the same time, the writing reform has no political and, even more so, geopolitical background. This opinion was expressed by well-known political scientist Yerlan Karin in his article on ia-centr.ru.

Yerlan Karin. Source - Facebook

Change of writing as part of the strategy

As expected, the forthcoming reform of the Kazakh script caused an active discussion. And in some cases, it takes completely unexpected turns, leading the discussion towards big politics and even geopolitics. Therefore, it is important to re-emphasize.

First of all, I would like to emphasize that

the transition to the Latin script is a long-stated goal

The state went to it purposefully and step by step. For those who, as they say, are not in the subject, let me remind you that the president first spoke about the need to switch to the Latin script back in 2006. And I note that this was done at a session of the Assembly of National Unity - the main body and institution of interethnic harmony in Kazakhstan.

Then in 2012, in his message, Nursultan Nazarbayev developed the theme of romanization, pointing to 2025 as the finish line. Then, in the Message-2012, the head of state formulated the Strategy "Kazakhstan-2050" - this is a document that outlines the long-term strategic goals of the country's development.

The beginning of the practical implementation of the reform, that is, what the president said in his program article, is a completely natural and expected step. It fits into the general logic of this long-adopted strategy. As the saying goes,

everything goes according to plan. And for experts, nothing unexpected happened

Opting for Globality

The reform of language graphics should be considered exclusively with the modernization of the Kazakh language itself. I emphasize that this only applies to graphics. We are not switching to some other language, but only modernizing graphics, which was first introduced, by the way, back in Soviet times.

The fact that almost all Turkic-speaking states (Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) have long since switched to the Latin alphabet indicates that the Latin script more accurately reflects the phonetic structure of the Turkic languages, which include Kazakh. And besides, did the transition to the Latin script affect the foreign policy of these countries?

That is, if you thoughtfully and without emotions approach the issue of switching to the Latin script, then it is obvious that this is a matter of the functionality and practicality of the language itself.

There is no politics, let alone geopolitics, here

Kazakhstan is actually the last of the Turkic-speaking states to decide to change the schedule. Yes,

the transition to the Latin alphabet is a civilizational choice

The choice in favor of open and global peace so that the Kazakh language receives a new dynamic in its development.

Today, all languages ​​are under pressure from new accelerating global processes. Therefore, in Kazakhstan, the transition to the Latin alphabet is interconnected and interdependent with other reforms in the field of education. That is

it is part of a large national educational project aimed at increasing the competitiveness of the nation

in a new global reality.

The cult of knowledge is a new ideology

The transition to the Latin alphabet is not an end in itself

The main thing is the transformation of the national (public) consciousness. The head of state presented a systematic vision of the Kazakh modernization program, which should be based on a balance between tradition and modernity. He calls, on the contrary, not to cling only to the past and in the same way not to run headlong after everything new. And by the way, in this approach

Kazakh and Russian concepts are somewhat similar,

in the sense that one cannot ignore historical roots and one should not blindly follow foreign models.

Today, President Nazarbayev, as a universally recognized national leader, is laying down a number of new public ideologies, the main of which is the cult of Education and Knowledge. This is the main essence of his article and in general his strategy. By and large, for Kazakhstan, this should become a kind of national idea.

In addition to the writing reform, Nursultan Nazarbayev outlined a number of other steps to adapt society to the changing historical realities. And the transition (or rather, return) to the Latin alphabet is just one of the tools. Nothing more.

On the need to translate the Kazakh language into Latin. The Head of State also clearly defined that by the end of 2017, in close cooperation with scientists and all members of the public, it will be necessary to adopt a single standard for the new Kazakh alphabet and graphics. And from 2025, business documentation, periodicals, textbooks - all this will have to be published in the Latin alphabet. the site evaluated the effectiveness of the experience of switching to the Latin alphabet in other countries of the world.

Kazakhstan in the past: overtaking common sense

Today, they often like to remember how the Soviet government, forcibly and politically motivated, implemented a global alphabetic reform in 2 stages: Kazakhstan and other countries of Central Asia were first massively translated from Arabic script into Latin, and then into Cyrillic.

Communists, being ardent atheists, believed that Arabic language is closely connected with Islam and prevents the young Asian republics from being completely imbued with the correct, in their opinion, ideology. In 1929, a unified Turkic alphabet based on the Latin alphabet was first introduced. And they got used to it, as they say, for almost 11 years.

Eradication of illiteracy in the republics of Central Asia / Photo from maxpenson.com

Not giving the population a rest from one language reform, the Soviet authorities energetically started another: after 1940, the countries of the region actively began to switch to the alphabet of Cyril and Methodius. As a result, over the course of several decades, millions of people were initially recognized as illiterate, and then they were forcibly and massively retrained. At the same time, Soviet propaganda did not forget to regularly emphasize how actively it brings the light of knowledge to the downtrodden and backward peoples of Asia.

Witnesses of the events of those years told their relatives and historians of Kazakhstan one thing: it was a real nightmare. This is probably why the same Kazakh language, stupidly and hastily squeezed into two new alphabetic systems in a row, did not develop almost until the end of the 80s of the last century, regularly borrowing directly concepts and terms from Russian.

Experience of the Baltic States: it did not work out, it did not grow together

However, what the Soviet government succeeded in Central Asia, for example, did not work out for the Russian autocrats. For centuries, all three Baltic states, regardless of status, and later - entry or non-inclusion into the USSR, in terms of language, function only in Latin.

After the uprising of 1863-1864 in the Northwestern Territory Russian Empire Governor-General Muravyov in 1864 banned the printing of primers, official publications, books for reading in Lithuanian in Latin. Instead, "citizen" was introduced - Lithuanian writing in Cyrillic letters. This ban aroused the resistance of the population and, as a result, was canceled in 1904. And the Estonian and Latvian languages ​​were generally formed on the basis of the German alphabet, and the Cyrillic alphabet could not offer them a replacement for specific sounds in its alphabetic system.

Street sign in Latvia / Photo sputniknewslv.com

Attempts to artificially translate Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians into Cyrillic were subsequently not made even by the Soviet authorities. Due, apparently, to inappropriateness. This is often forgotten, but almost the entire time of the existence of the USSR with the Latin alphabet, 3 union republics lived quietly at once, and this did not raise any questions.

Turkey: the first experience of the Turkic world

The existing Turkish alphabet was established on the personal initiative of the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. This was a key step in the cultural part of his reform program. By establishing a one-party rule of the country, Atatürk was able to persuade the opposition to implement a radical reform of writing. He announced this in 1928 and created a language commission. The commission was responsible for adapting the Latin alphabet to the requirements of the Turkish phonetic system.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk / Photo from weekend.rambler.ru

Ataturk personally participated in the work of the commission and proclaimed the mobilization of forces in the promotion of a new script, traveled a lot around the country, explaining new system and the need for its early implementation. The Language Commission proposed a five-year implementation period, but Atatürk reduced it to three months. Changes in the writing system were enshrined in the law "On the Change and Implementation of the Turkish Alphabet", adopted on November 1, 1928 and entered into force on January 1, 1929. The law made it mandatory to use the new alphabet in all public publications. The departure from Arabic writing was opposed by conservative and religious opponents. They argued that the adoption of the Latin alphabet would lead to Turkey's separation from the large Islamic world and would replace traditional values ​​with "alien" ones (including European ones). As an alternative, the same Arabic alphabet was proposed with the introduction of additional letters to convey the specific sounds of the Turkish language. But Ataturk managed, as they say, to break through the language reform, despite the resistance of part of Turkish society.

Istanbul / Photo from danaeavia.ru

The process of complete transition to the Latin alphabet took about 30 years. However, Turkey successfully coped with it and today is the most positive example for the Turkic-speaking republics.

Moldova: closer to Europe

On August 31, 1989, the new government of the Moldavian SSR (at the request of the participants in the demonstration organized by the nationalist Popular Front of Moldavia) abolished the Cyrillic alphabet on its territory and introduced the Romanian Latin spelling for the Moldavian language.

Protests in Moldova / Photo from moldova.org

On the territory of the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, the Cyrillic alphabet was preserved and is still used today.

In addition, in Moldova itself, a national course towards unification with Romania has long been adopted, and in December 2013 the Constitutional Court of this country recognized official language Republic of the Romanian language based on the Latin alphabet.

Azerbaijan: under the wing of fraternal Turkey

There are three official alphabetic systems in the Azerbaijani language: in Azerbaijan - Latin, in Iran - Arabic script, in Russia (Dagestan) - in Cyrillic. Until 1922, the Azerbaijanis used the Arabic script with additional characters characteristic of the Turkic languages.

After gaining independence in 1992, a gradual transition to the Latin alphabet began, which was completely completed in 9 years. From August 1, 2001, any printed matter, including newspapers and magazines, as well as business papers in state institutions and private firms, must be written only in Latin.

Poster depicting Heydar Aliyev / Photo from mygo.com.ua

According to many experts, leadership Turkish Republic exerted significant political pressure on the issue of Azerbaijan's transition to the Latin alphabet. The main supporter of language reform within the country was former President Heydar Aliyev.

The main reason for changing the alphabet was called "the need to enter the global information space."

Uzbekistan: the transition is delayed

On September 2, 1993, a law "On the introduction of the Uzbek alphabet based on the Latin script" was adopted in the neighboring republic. Although issues of such magnitude, according to the 9th article of the Constitution of Uzbekistan, should be the subject of discussion and submitted to a national referendum, this was not done. The date of the final transition of the country to the new graphics system was first set on September 1, 2005.

The inscription "sausage shop" in Uzbek / Photo from ca-portal.ru

The new Uzbek Latin alphabet introduced "from above" did not become universal by the appointed date, and the date of the final transition to the new alphabet was postponed for another five years - from 2005 to 2010. And when the second term came, they stopped talking about Latinization altogether.

For now, the Latin alphabet has been fully implemented so far only in the school curriculum and textbooks have been printed on this chart. Latin prevails in the spelling of street names and transport routes, inscriptions in the subway. On television and in cinema, two alphabets are still used simultaneously: in some films and programs, screensavers, titles and commercials are supplied with inscriptions in Latin, in others - in Cyrillic.

Election billboard in Tashkent / Photo from rus.azattyq.org

The host zone uses both alphabets. The websites of government departments and structures on the Internet duplicate their content not only in Russian and English, but also in two graphs at once - in Latin and Cyrillic. Uzbek-language information sites also use both variants of the Uzbek script.

All Uzbek literature Soviet period, scientific and technical books, encyclopedias were created in the Uzbek Cyrillic alphabet. Approximately 70% of the press, in order not to lose readers, is still printed in Cyrillic.

Driving license of a new type in Uzbekistan / Photo from ru.sputniknews-uz.com

Office work also fails to transfer to the new graphics. Cyrillic is used in government and legal documents, in business correspondence. Official documentation of the cabinet of ministers, state and public organizations, judicial and investigative bodies, departmental guidance materials and regulations, research and scientific works, forms of statistical and financial accounting and reporting, price lists and price tags - all this is almost completely maintained, compiled and printed in Cyrillic. The Uzbek national currency sum is also printed using two alphabets: inscriptions on paper banknotes up to the five thousandth banknote are in Cyrillic, and on coins - in both Cyrillic and Latin.

In general, two generations have developed in Uzbekistan today: the generation of the Cyrillic alphabet and the Latin alphabet, which actively use two variants of the Uzbek script. This is fully consistent with the adopted law "On the introduction of the Uzbek alphabet based on the Latin script", supplemented by the following words:

"With the introduction of the Uzbek alphabet, based on the Latin script, the necessary conditions are preserved for mastering and using the Arabic script and Cyrillic alphabet, on which an invaluable spiritual heritage has been created, which is national pride people of Uzbekistan.

Turkmenistan: not without excesses

Turkmen, like Uzbek, has historically used the Arabic alphabet for writing. But the Turkmens of Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran still use Arabic-based writing.

After the collapse of the USSR in 1995, the issue of switching to Latin script. At the same time, the new Turkmen Latin alphabet differed significantly from the Yanalif (new Turkic alphabet) of the 1930s. A new alphabet based on the Latin alphabet was introduced, but it was changed twice in the 1990s. Due to the fact that the transition from Cyrillic to Latin in Turkmenistan took place quite harshly and radically, such a sharp jump had a negative impact on the quality of education.

Tutorial on drawing in Turkmen / Photo from dgng.pstu.ru

For example, first-graders learned a new Latinized alphabet, but already on next year were forced to learn Cyrillic as well, since no new textbooks for grade 2 were published. This situation has been observed for 5-6 years since the beginning of the reform.

Serbia: not yet transferred

The Serbian language uses two alphabets as writing: one based on the Cyrillic alphabet ("Vukovica") and one based on the Latin alphabet ("Gaevica"). During the existence of Yugoslavia in Serbia and Montenegro, Cyrillic and Latin were studied in parallel, but Cyrillic prevailed in the everyday life of Serbia and was in fact the only alphabet in Montenegro; in Bosnia, on the other hand, the Latin alphabet was more commonly used. In modern Serbia, Cyrillic is the only official script (the status was fixed by law in 2006), but outside of official use, Latin is also often used.

An analysis of a specialized survey conducted back in 2014 showed that preference for the Latin alphabet is predominantly given by younger native speakers. Thus, among respondents aged 20 to 29, 65.1% write in Latin, and only 18.1% write in Cyrillic. Among those over forty, 57.8% prefer the Latin alphabet, 32.6% prefer the Cyrillic alphabet. And only people over 60 mostly use the Cyrillic alphabet - 45.2% against 32.7% who prefer the Latin alphabet.

According to experts, one of the reasons for the growing prevalence of the Latin alphabet in the country is the development of the Internet.

Russia: an incredible past

Few people know that the fashion for romanization at the end of the 20s of the last century was so strong that supporters of the Latin alphabet were already ready to translate the Russian language from Cyrillic. In 1929, the People's Commissariat of Education of the RSFSR formed a commission to develop the issue of romanization of the Russian alphabet, headed by Professor Yakovlev and with the participation of linguists, bibliologists, and printing engineers. The commission completed its work in January 1930. The final document proposed three versions of the Russian Latin alphabet, slightly differing from each other only in the implementation of the letters "y", "ё", "yu" and "ya", as well as soft sign. On January 25, 1930, Stalin instructed to completely stop the development of the question of the romanization of the Russian alphabet.

Newspaper "Socialist Kazakhstan" in Latin / Photo from wikimedia.org

Hypothetically, one can only fantasize what would have happened if such a transition of the Russian language had taken place. Probably, now Kazakhstan and many other countries would not experience problems with romanization. Yes and foreign languages Romance group might have been much more comfortable to teach.