Bilingualism in terms of the Kazakh and Russian languages in relation to English as a foreign language

Abstract

: In this study, the author tries to to shed light on the specific bilingual context in Kazakhstan. The sample consisted of 148 students (mostly females) from a Kazakh university, whose average age was M = 18.89 (SD = 1.06). The questionnaire designed especially for the purposes of the present study was applied. Results revealed that a greater number of students speak Kazakh more frequently than Russian when they are at home. However, during the school time and time spent interacting with peers, Kazakh and Russian are spoken almost equally. Moreover, a vast majority of the participants reported they liked them both. Other findings pointed to the students' similar levels of Kazakh and Russian proficiency. Russian was perceived as more similar to English than was Kazakh. Lastly, most participants considered bilingual persons more capable of learning another language when compared with monolingual people. The results were discussed in the light of the modern trends in Kazakhstani's language speaking habits and attitudes towards Russian and Kazakh.