Cover not available

Article In: Language Problems and Language Planning: Online-First Articles

From law to label

Evaluating Kazakhstan’s toponymic standardization in practice

ORCiD logo with link | A. Baitursynuly Institute of Linguistics
 | A. Baitursynuly Institute of Linguistics
 | A. Baitursynuly Institute of Linguistics
 | A. Baitursynuly Institute of Linguistics
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
This article tests how Kazakhstan’s onomastic status-planning works in practice by asking: (RQ1) how coherent are the governing instruments — laws, decrees, registries, commissions — and how are responsibilities allocated; and (RQ2) how closely do public labels align with canonical forms. We code instrument coherence from legal texts and audit 17,846 deduplicated State Catalogue settlement entries against OpenStreetMap populated-place features. Results show that goals are specified, but procedures for interoperability and catalogue-platform synchronization are only partly operationalized. The broad linkage model yielded 6,439 linked OSM populated-place features against 17,846 deduplicated State Catalogue settlement entries. Among the 5,104 linked features carrying a Kazakh name:kk label, 2,899 (56.8%) matched the State Catalogue exactly. We propose low-cost operational measures — routine catalogue change records, character-encoding guidance, and regional monitoring — to raise alignment during Kazakhstan’s script transition. The design is replicable for other toponymic standardization regimes.
Аннотация
Заңнан таңбаға дейін: Қазақстандағы топонимиялық стандарттауды іс жүзінде бағалау
Мақалада Қазақстандағы ономастикалық мәртебені жоспарлаудың іс жүзіндегі нәтижесі екі сұрақ арқылы бағаланады: (RQ1) заңдар, жарлықтар, тізілімдер мен комиссиялар қаншалықты үйлесімді және міндеттер қалай бөлінген; (RQ2) ашық платформалардағы атаулар ресми нұсқаларға қаншалықты сәйкес келеді? Нормативтік құжаттар негізінде басқару тетіктерінің үйлесімділігі сараланып, Мемлекеттік каталогтағы қайталанбайтын 17 846 елді мекен атауы OpenStreetMap нысандарымен салыстырылды. Мақсаттар айқын белгіленгенімен, деректердің өзара үйлесімділігі мен каталогты платформалармен синхрондау рәсімдері толық іске асырылмағандығы анықталды. Кеңейтілген сәйкестендіру моделі 6 439 OSM нысанын Мемлекеттік каталог жазбаларымен байланыстырды. Қазақша name:kk белгісі бар 5 104 нысанның 2 899-ы (56,8%) каталогпен дәл сәйкес келді. Әліпби ауыстыру кезеңінде сәйкестікті арттыру үшін каталог өзгерістерін тұрақты тіркеу, таңбаларды кодтау нұсқаулығын әзірлеу және өңірлік мониторинг жүргізу ұсынылады. Бұл тәсілді өзге топонимдерді стандарттау жүйелеріне де қолдануға болады.
Resumo
De leĝo al etikedo: Taksado de la toponimia normigado de Kazaĥio en praktiko
Tiu ĉi artikolo testas, kiel en praktiko funkcias la onomastika statusa planado de Kazaĥio, demandante: (esplordemando 1) kiom koheraj estas la regadaj instrumentoj — leĝoj, dekretoj, registroj, komisionoj — kaj kiel estas asignitaj la respondecoj; kaj (esplordemando 2) kiom proksime publikaj etikedoj kongruas kun kanonikaj formoj. Ni kodas instrumentan koherecon el leĝaj tekstoj kaj krucreferencas 17 846 deduplikitajn loĝlokajn enskribojn el la Ŝtata Katalogo kun datumoj pri loknomoj el OpenStreetMap. Rezultoj montras, ke celoj estas difinitaj, sed proceduroj por interoperableco kaj sinkronigo de katalogo kaj platformo estas nur parte efektivigitaj. La ampleksa ligmodelo identigas 6 439 ligitajn OSM-loĝlokajn objektojn kompare kun 17 846 deduplikitaj enskriboj de loĝlokoj en la Ŝtata Katalogo. Inter la 5 104 ligitaj objektoj portantaj la etikedon “Kazaĥa nomo:kk”, 2 899 (56,8 %) precize kongruis kun la Ŝtata Katalogo. Ni proponas malmultekostajn operaciajn rimedojn — rutinajn registrojn de ŝanĝoj en katalogoj, gvidon pri karakterkodo kaj regionan monitoradon — por plialtigi kongruecon dum la transiro de la kazaĥa skribo. La koncepto povas esti aplikata al aliaj sistemoj por la normigado de loknomoj.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Background: Framework and related works
    • Language planning, status instruments, and the special case of names
    • Onomastics as governance: From legal texts to platforms
    • Kazakhstan in the LPP literature: Kazakhization, continuity, and dual-script transition
    • Transmission between Kazakh and Russian: Recurrent patterns and why they persist
    • Critical toponymy: Names as instruments of state, memory, and market
    • Script change as sociolinguistic intervention
    • Positioning the present study and introducing the research questions
  • Methods and data
    • Methods for RQ1: Documentary audit of the onomastic regime
    • Methods for RQ2: Settlement-level alignment audit
    • Ethical considerations
    • Limitations
  • Results
    • RQ1: Coherence of instruments and roles
    • RQ2: Alignment of catalogue forms with OSM
  • Discussion
    • From instruments to mechanisms
    • Regional heterogeneity without league tables
    • From Cyrillic practice to Latin readiness: Why current pipelines matter
    • On measurement and contribution
    • Limits and how they shape interpretation
    • Beyond Kazakhstan: Replicability and comparative potential
    • Policy implications
    • Catalogue-to-platform synchronization
      • Action
      • Rationale
      • Ownership
      • Cadence and scope
      • KPIs
      • Risks and mitigation
    • Diacritic-safe technical note for ICT implementers
      • Action
      • Rationale
      • Ownership
      • KPIs
      • Risks and mitigation
    • Responsibilities with checks (light audit loop)
      • Action
      • Rationale
      • Ownership
      • KPIs
      • Risks and mitigation
    • Equity and access
      • Action
      • Rationale
      • KPIs
  • Conclusion
  • Disclosure statement
  • Note
  • Author queries
  • References
References (37)
References
Azaryahu, Maoz. (1996). The Power of Commemorative Street Names. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 14 (3): 311–330. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chernovatyi, Leonid & Schochenmaier, Eugen. (2023). Reference dictionary of Ukrainian names (English — Ukrainian, Ukrainian — English with pronunciation and etymology), Wilmington, Delaware: Mondonomo, 468 pp.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cooper, Robert L. (1989). Language Planning and Social Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Coulmas, Florian. (1989). The Writing Systems of the World. Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2003). Writing Systems: An Introduction to Their Linguistic Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ergun, Ayça. (2010). Politics of Romanisation in Azerbaijan (1921–1992). Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 20 (1): 33–48. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fierman, William. (2005). Kazakh language and prospects for its role in Kazakh “groupness.” Ab Imperio, 2, 393–423. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2006). Language and Education in Post-Soviet Kazakhstan: Kazakh-Medium Instruction in Urban Schools. The Russian Review, 65(1), 98–116. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2009). Identity, Symbolism, and the Politics of Language in Central Asia. Europe-Asia Studies, 61(7), 1207–1228. [URL].
Grenoble, Lenore A. (2003). Language Policy in the Soviet Union. Dordrecht: Kluwer. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Grivelet, Stéphane. (2001). Digraphia in Mongolia. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 150, 75–93. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Jordan, Peter. (2023). Minority Place-Name Standardization: A Comparison of Regulations and Approaches in Europe. Submitted by the Liaison Officer for the International Cartographic Association. United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, 2023 Session, New York, 1–5 May 2023, GEGN.2/2023/39/CRP.39.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kaplan, Robert B., and Richard B. Baldauf Jr. (1997). Language Planning from Practice to Theory. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kellner-Heinkele, Barbara & Landau, Jacob M. (2012). Language Politics in Contemporary Central Asia: National and Ethnic Identity and the Soviet Legacy. London: I.B. Tauris. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kurmangaliyeva, Aigerim. (2023). Kazakh Language Reform and the Challenges of Script Transition. Central Asian Journal of Linguistics, 4(2), 85–104.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Levenshtein, Vladimir I. (1966). Binary Codes Capable of Correcting Deletions, Insertions, and Reversals. Soviet Physics — Doklady 10: 707–710.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Light, Duncan, and Craig Young. (2014). Toponymy as Commodity: Exploring the Economic Dimensions of Urban Place Names. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 39(3): 435–450. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Neis, Pascal, and Dirk Zielstra. (2014). Recent Developments and Future Trends in Volunteered Geographic Information Research: The Case of OpenStreetMap. Future Internet 6 (1): 76–106. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Permanent Committee on Geographical Names (PCGN). (2022). Kazakhstan: Country Names and Toponymic Information. Factfile.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Riekkinen, Mariya, Zhatkanbayeva, Aizhan, Kozhabek, Kanat, & Aigarinova, Gulnar. (2021). Latinizing the Alphabet in Kazakhstan: Rationale, Legal Foundation, and Possible Impact on the Status of the Russian Language. European Yearbook of Minority Issues Online, 18, 203–236. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rose-Redwood, Reuben, Derek Alderman, & Maoz Azaryahu. (2010). Geographies of Toponymic Inscription: New Directions in Critical Place-Name Studies. Progress in Human Geography 34 (4): 453–470. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rysbergen, Kyzdarkhan. (2017). Реалии постсоветской действительности в русской ономастической системе Казахстана (Realities of the Post-Soviet Era in the Russian Onomastic System of Kazakhstan). Филологические науки. Вопросы теории и практики (Philological Sciences. Issues of Theory and Practice), 10(3), 167–170.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rysbergen, Kyzdarkhan, & Uali, Nurgeldi. (2023). Cultural representation of the semantics of Kazakh geographical names. Tiltanym, 89(1), 189–200. (in Kazakh). Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rysbergen, Kyzdarkhan, Rsaliyeva, Nursaule, Pashan, Dana, Schochenmaier, Eugen, & Seyitbatkal, Arlen. (2025). From Foreign to Familiar: Transliteration Challenges in the Latinization of Kazakh Exonyms. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(6), 42–55. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rysbergen, Kyzdarkhan, & Schochenmaier, Eugen. (2025). The Impact of Script Reform on Names across Cultures: Lessons for Kazakhstan’s 2031 Latinization. Cultural Perspectives, 30, 228–252. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Salaev, Ulugbek, Elmurod Kuriyozov, & Carlos Gómez-Rodríguez. (2022). A Machine Transliteration Tool between Uzbek Alphabets. Proceedings of the Workshop on Asian Language Translation, NLP and Linguistics. arXiv:2205.09578.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Saparov, Kuat, Chlachula, Jiri, & Yeginbayeva, Aigul. (2018). Toponymy of the Ancient Sary-Arka (North-Eastern Kazakhstan). Quaestiones Geographicae, 37(3), 35–52. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Schlyter, Birgit. (2003). Sociolinguistic changes in transformed Central Asian societies. In J. Maurais & M. A. Morris (Eds.), Languages in a Globalising World (pp. 157–187). chapter, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sebba, Mark. (2006). Ideology and alphabets in the former USSR. Language Problems & Language Planning, 30(2), 99–125. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Shingaliyeva, Lunara. (2020). Writing the Nation: The Impact of Latin Alphabet on Kazakh Identity (Master’s thesis). Central European University. Retrieved from [URL]
Smagulova, Juldyz. (2021). Language Change and Policy in Kazakhstan: The Challenges of Alphabet Reform. Language Policy, 20(1), 67–89.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, UNGEGN. (2006). Manual for the National Standardization of Geographical Names. United Nations: New YorkGoogle Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. (2007). Technical Reference Manual for the Standardization of Geographical Names. United Nations: New YorkGoogle Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Unseth, Peter. (2008). The sociolinguistics of script choice: An introduction. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 192, 1–4. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Vajda, Edward. (1994). Kazakh phonology. In E. Kaplan & D. Whisenhunt (Eds.), Essays presented in honor of Henry Schwarz (pp. 603–650). Western Washington.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zharkynbekova, Sholpan K., & Agabekova, Zhazira A. (2021). Toponymic space of Kazakhstan: Issues of standardization and codification. Bulletin of the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University. Philology Series, 2, 139–153.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zharkynbekova, Sholpan, Agabekova, Zhazira, & Aksholakova, Assem. (2024). Problems of transliteration and translation of Kazakh geographical names. Slovo.ru: Baltic Accent, 1, 172–186. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kazakhstan: Laws, decrees, and programmatic documents
Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Languages in the Republic of Kazakhstan” No. 151-I ZRK, 11 July 1997. (Official legal portal: Әділет.)
Resolution No. 368 of 21 April 1998 “On the Republican Onomastic Commission under the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan.” (Әділет.)
Resolution No. 396 of 24 April 2013 “On Approval of the Standard Provision on Regional and City Onomastic Commissions.” (Әділет.)
Instruction on the Russian Rendering of Kazakh Geographical Names and the Kazakh Rendering of Russian Geographical Names (mutual transmission), approved 2002 by Ministry of Culture.
Resolution No. 45 of 21 January 2005 “Concept of State Onomastic Work in the Republic of Kazakhstan.” (Әділет.)
Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 jbe-platform.quadraat-sans-bold jbe-platform.quadraat-sans-bold-dark jbe-platform.quadraat-sans-bold-light jbe-platform.quadraat-sans-bold prag Twitter_Logo_Blue