Why Study Kazakh? Kazakh can give you an edge in applying for graduate fellowships at the State Department, the CIA, and the FBI, not to mention international business and law opportunities. Knowing Kazakh opens up the rich his- tory and culture of Kazakhs. Kazakh skills are a powerful means to gain the confidence and respect of Kazakhs. Foreigners who know their language are honored guests!
Kazakh
Who Speaks Kazakh?
The Kazakh language has its speakers (mainly Kazakhs) spread over a vast territory from the Tian Shan mountains to the western shore of the Caspian Sea. Kazakh is the official state language of Kazakhstan, with 10 million speakers.
In the People's Republic of China, more than one million ethnic Kazakhs and Kazakh speakers reside in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. There are around 5 million Kazakh speakers in Russia. Other sizable populations of Kazakh-speakers live in Mongolia (fewer than 200,000), Uzbekistan, other parts of the former Soviet Union, as well as in Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, and Germany. Kazakhstan is the 9th largest country in the world with vast deposits of oil and natural gas.
Interesting Facts about Kazakhs
- Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country in the world
- Medeo is the highest mountain skating rink in the world. 170 world records in speed skating were set here.
- The first artificial satellite (Sputnik 1) and the first man (Yuri Gagarin) were sent into space from Baikonur cosmodrome located in Kazakhstan.
- Timur Bekmambetov is a Kazak-Russian film director known for the vampire franchise Night Watch 2004) and Day Watch (2006).
Learn these everyday phrases!
- Welcome: Qosh keldiniz!
- Hello (General greeting): Salem!
- How are you?: Kalaisin/Kalaisiz or Kaliniz kalai/ Kalin kalai?
- I'm fine, thanks. And you?: Jaksi., rahmet.
- Oziniz she/Ozin she?
- What's your name?: Atiniz kim? (formal) or Atin kim? (informal)
- Pleased to meet you: Taniskanima kuanishtimin!
- Morning greeting: Kairli tan!
- Afternoon greeting: Kairli tun!
- Evening greeting: Kairli kesh!
Why Learn A World Language?
In the increasingly globalized world, the knowledge of a world language becomes an indispensable skill important not only for individual enrichment, but also for the broadening employment opportunities.
According to a study from the University of Chicago, knowledge of a world language helps you boost decision-making skills.
Students who study world languages score higher on standardized tests, as a study from York University in Toronto showed. Students who study a world language for at least one year score an average of 38 points higher on the SATs.
Knowledge of a world language increases your chances of landing a good job, as the recent poll of The Economist showed. An MIT study shows that people who know two or more languages earn an average of $128,000 more over their lifetimes.
Learning a second language has compelling health benefits, as suggested by a study from York University in Toronto that connects prevention of the onset of dementia with foreign language learning.
For more info contact:
Piibi-Kai Kivik
Language Program Coordinator
Phone: (812) 856-7442
Email: ceuslc@iu.edu