Abstract

Former President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev brought alphabet reform to the forefront of public discussion in Kazakhstan when he announced the transition of the Kazakh language from the Cyrillic alphabet to the Latin alphabet in 2017. Since then, many conversations have taken place across Kazakhstan pondering the necessity of the reform, the best way to implement it, and how to minimize social and financial damage that could possibly be caused by the transition. Context surrounding the background of the reform and alphabet choice is important, and raises questions of identity within Kazakh society. The primary purpose of this article is to present a selection of qualitative and quantitative results from a survey conducted among seventy-five Kazakh speakers and Kazakhstanis. The goal of the survey was to identify their perspectives regarding the reform in the areas of public opinion, education, politics, and linguistics. Knowing how academics and the public perceive the reform allows adjustments to be made which may ease the transition from one alphabet to another.

Key words: Kazakhstan, alphabet reform, Cyrillic alphabet, Latin alphabet.