The Kazakh language across borders: phonetic features in the speech of repatriates from Сhina

The article examines the phonetic characteristics of the language spoken by ethnic Kazakhs in China, focusing on vowel and consonant combinations, phonetic shifts, and distinctive speech features. The phonetic differences between the language of ethnic Kazakhs (repatriates) from China and the standard literary Kazakh language are analyzed, and the detailed linguistic assessment is provided. As part of the empirical research, surveys and interviews were conducted with repatriates from China. The recorded audio and video materials were transcribed and analyzed to identify phonetic features. This analysis confirmed various phonetic phenomena in the Kazakh language, including sound reduction, augmentation, and transportation, as evidenced by both scholarly research and the conducted interviews. Researchers studying the language of ethnic Kazakhs in China have noted differences in the sound system, particularly in the pronunciation of vowels and consonants. However, there is a lack of comparative studies that examine the linguistic features of Kazakh spoken by ethnic Kazakhs in China in relation to the standard literary Kazakh used in Kazakhstan. The phonetic traits preserved in the speech of older ethnic Kazakhs from China are linked to their use of Akhmet Baitursynov’s töte žazuw alphabet system. Their language has undergone little change since migrating to Kazakhstan in the 1990s. In contrast, phonetic changes have been observed in the speech of the younger generation who received education in Kazakh schools and universities and now work as teachers in Kazakhstan. 

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