Kazakh-Russian сode mixing in metacommunicative perspective

Abstract

The present study focuses on the ethnic bilingualism in Kazakhstan and the code-mixing as a special form of the Kazakh-Russian and Russian-Kazakh bilingualism. The bi- and multilingualism in Kazakhstan is caused by its long standing multiethnicity. Thus, the socio-cultural context in Kazakhstan provides a special angle on the issue of bilingualism and code mixing and differs from bilingual and code-mixed practices caused be active migration processes in the 20th century. The study, first, presents the main outcomes of the sociolinguistics and its new frameworks and methodological applications. Second, the paper analyzes the traditional approaches to Kazakh-Russian bilingualism and the factors that influence the Kazakhs and Russians in using code mixing. The suggested study is guided by the following research question: how consciously and intentionally proceeds the switching between the in the Kazakh and Russian languages and how the hybrid practice is evaluated by the participants of communication. In the questionnaire design the quantitative perspective on research questions asked (where? when?) was extended by its qualitative perspective (how? why?). We demonstrate that there are no fixed ties between educational level of the speakers and their linguistic competence and the language mixed practice, that is not to be labelled in pejorative terms as linguistic errors. In this analysis we show the codemixing not as interference mistakes as influenced by Russian language and culture, presupposed by low language competence of the speakers, but as a dynamic resource and linguistic choice in the interactional communication.