President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has ordered the systematization of Kazakh spelling rules and the updating of all dictionaries, with the work to be completed by the end of next year at the state level, infohub.kz reports.
The head of state spoke at the 10th congress of the international "Qazaq Tili" society. In his address, he touched on the development of the state language, its use in science, and the need for unified spelling rules.
Tokayev emphasized that the Kazakh language must become the language of science and industry. To achieve this, he said, it is necessary to develop domestic science and support research in Kazakh.
"Of course, this means that the potential of Kazakh science—that is, of our scholars—must be high. If science develops, the Kazakh language will become the language of science and industry. There are enough historical data and examples: for instance, the history of Persian and French, and in the modern era English has taken the lead. The role of higher education institutions is crucial here. Universities must pay special attention to research works in the Kazakh language," he said.
The president separately addressed the issue of uniformity. He noted that the same words, concepts, and terms in the Kazakh language are sometimes used differently.
"This is not a minor issue that can simply be ignored. Because such a situation misleads people and negatively affects the purity of the language. Therefore, in the use of the Kazakh language, it is important to pay special attention to having a clear system and a certain order. Overall, this problem should be approached comprehensively. First of all, it is necessary to inventory and systematize the spelling rules. Moreover, the time has come to update all dictionaries, including the spelling dictionary," the head of state noted.
Tokayev recalled that the official spelling dictionary of the Kazakh language was approved back in Soviet times—in 1983. Since then, new editions have been published, but none received state approval and legal force.
"In some neighboring states, such scientific works are updated every five years. Therefore, we too need to study the scientific foundations of Kazakh spelling and promptly bring it into system. This work must be completed by the end of next year," the president emphasized.