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DOI: 10.15862/25FLSK326 (https://doi.org/10.15862/25FLSK326)

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Saduov R.T. [Linguistic landscape of the Republic of Kazakhstan’s Astana through the lens of language policy] World of Science. Series: Sociology, Philology, Cultural Studies, 2026, Vol. 17, No. 3. Available at: https://sfk-mn.ru/PDF/25FLSK326.pdf (in Russian). DOI: 10.15862/25FLSK326

Linguistic landscape of the Republic of Kazakhstan’s Astana through the lens of language policy

Saduov Ruslan Talgatovich
Innopolis University, Innopolis, Russia
E-mail: ru.saduov@innopolis.ru
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1395-3858
RSCI: https://elibrary.ru/author_profile.asp?id=510999

Abstract. The article presents the results of a study on the linguistic landscape of Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. The relevance stems from conflicting findings in previous research, which does not allow an unambiguous assessment of the position of the Russian language in urban space or the extent of Latinization of Kazakh inscriptions. The aim is to determine the proportions of Russian, Kazakh, English, and other languages in Astana’s linguistic landscape and to establish the ratio of Cyrillic to Latin script in Kazakh-language signs. Material was collected through field observation across four districts following a center-to-periphery principle. A total of 372 units were analyzed. Results show that Russian appears on 78–86 % of signs in all districts, dominating both the center and periphery. Kazakh and English are represented nearly equally (approximately 60–70 % and 47–65 %, respectively), with English noticeably more frequent in the central area. Cyrillic script prevails in Kazakh inscriptions over Latin, but Latinized signs already account for a solid third of all Kazakh-language signage, especially in public institutions and the city center. No clear logic or systematic pattern in replacing Cyrillic with Latin was detected. The findings confirm the continued dominant communicative role of Russian in the capital’s linguistic landscape and record the initial stage of Latinization of Kazakh writing.

Keywords: linguistic landscape; urban environment; multilingualism; Russian language; Kazakh language; English language; Latinization; Cyrillic script; Astana; Republic of Kazakhstan

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