N.S. Zhumagulova
1
, A.A. Ahetova
2
1
Candidate of Philological Sciences, Abay Myrzakhmetov Kokshetau University, Kokshetau,
Republic of Kazakhstan, е-mail: n_schum@inbox.ru
2
Master, Sh. Ualikhanov Kokshetau State University, Kokshetau, Republic of Kazakhstan, е-mail:
ahetova.adiya@mail.ru
LINGUOCULTUROLOGICAL ASPECT OF THE EURASIAN LINGUISTIC
IDENTITY
Studying three languages with different functional purposes in a multi-ethnic, polylingual and
multicultural society is a unique experience not only for Kazakhstan, but also for other polyethnic
states. Formation process of the linguistic identity of a new, Eurasian type, an identity focused on
the world cognition, respect and acceptance of moral and cultural values of other nations through
studying their languages and cultures is under way in Kazakhstan today. At the same time, learning
a foreign language, primarily English requires today students' attention both to the linguistic
features of this language and its culturological aspect. Organization of the educational discourse
takes place in such a way that language acquisition occurs due to analysis, comparison,
identification of similar and different features not only in languages, but also in the ways of
Ш. Уәлиханов атындағы КМУ хабаршысы ISSN 1608-2206 Филология сериясы. № 4, 2019
53
expressing moral meanings, in cultural traditions. Thus, we come to the conclusion that the same
problems are found in the cultures and languages of each nation. At the same time, in the culture of
each nation there are specific cultural values, fixed in its language, moral standards, beliefs,
behavioral features, etc.
Key words: Multi-ethnic\polyethnic, polylingual\multilingual, multicultural, linguistic
identity, culturological aspect, educational discourse, intercultural communication, interpersonal
communication, cross-cultural interaction, cultural values.
INTRODUCTION
Studying three languages with different functional purposes in a multi-ethnic, polylingual and
multicultural society is a unique experience not only for Kazakhstan, but also for other polyethnic
states. Formation process of the linguistic identity of a new, Eurasian type, an identity focused on
the world cognition, respect and acceptance of moral and cultural values of other nations through
studying their languages and cultures is under way in Kazakhstan today. As historical experience
shows, "the cultures that have the goals of spiritual improvement, the goals, in effect, "lying beyond
the bounds" for the material world, managed to achieve both advancement of personal qualities of a
man and material welfare" [1, 61].
Following S.G. Ter-Minasova, we believe that "the most important function of the language is
its ability to preserve the culture and transmit it from generation to generation. That is why the
language plays such a significant role in the formation of the individual, national character, ethnic
community, people, nation" [2]. Studying the Kazakh and Russian languages takes place not only in
the educational discourse of Kazakhstan, but also in the society thanks to the media, interpersonal
communication at the domestic and institutional levels, etc. Based on the established historical
reality, cross-cultural interaction of the Russian and Kazakh cultures took place in Kazakhstan long
ago, and intercultural communication is carried out in a natural way.
At the same time, learning a foreign language, primarily English requires today students'
attention both to the linguistic features of this language and its culturological aspect. A distinctive
feature of the modern approach to the foreign language education is the emphasis on intercultural
communication not only as the final goal of training, but also on the process of teaching languages
itself. Intercultural training is carried out, above all, through texts of another culture, the language
of which we study. This is the process of studying an unfamiliar language in the light of people
speaking this language, their historical and cultural experience. In this process, rapprochement of
two cultures - the native one that of the foreign language takes place, as studying a foreign (non-
native) language does not only implies working with unfamiliar words and structures, but adoption
of different mentality, other cultural concepts and moral values. Organization of the educational
discourse takes place in such a way that language acquisition occurs due to analysis, comparison,
identification of similar and different features not only in languages, but also in the ways of
expressing moral meanings, in cultural traditions.
So, for example, students are bewildered by the phrase "How do you do?" upon acquaintance,
on first acquaintance and "Good night!" only instead of saying good-bye; the words "dinner,
supper" meaning "dinner", which in their own culture begins at one o'clock in the afternoon, and in
modern England in the evening, moreover it is not clear which of these words are more preferable
to choose, etc. However, if we turn to the history of the language, the history of the country and the
culture of the people, we will discover a satisfactory explanation for these and many other
"peculiarities."
MAIN PART
In the process of studying a foreign language we have to realize that studying a foreign
language enriches a person with new world knowledge of speakers of another's language, but also
of one's own. Against the background of "different features" and "similar features" in the cultures of
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54
native and foreign languages, both the linguistic and cultural competences of the learner and his or
her linguistic identity are formed. In this case, according to N.F. Alefirenko, as concept systems in
different languages are comparable, despite the fact that the languages enumerate the surrounding
reality differently, divergences of lexical and semantic and grammatical nature are smoothed [1,
141]. At the same time, S.G. Ter-Minasova believes that the need for the most careful study of
interlanguage correspondences and the urgency of this problem for optimizing intercultural
communication, as well as for improving the methods of teaching foreign languages, for the theory
and practice of translation and lexicography becomes evident [2]. N.F. Alefirenko notes that the
purpose of culture, its "duty" or the role it plays in human life, is expressed in its functions. All
functions are carried out for the sake of a person as a social being. Whether he knows the world or
tries to protect nature, whether he trusts in God or shares high ideals of humanism - he does all this
for his own sake [1, 60].
Most of the research devoted to teaching foreign languages points out focus of linguistic
education at university on personality development of a student as an individuality and a skilled
specialist capable of professional intercultural communication and proficiency in culture of speech
(R.A. Archakov, 2006; E.G. Obukhova, 2003); O.N. Alexeyenko, 2009, etc.). Thus, R.A. Archakov
believes that "studying foreign languages by students of non-specialized faculties contributes to the
development of standard, communicative and ethical aspects of culture of speech, the content and
structure of training are built on a complex cultural comparative and linguistic contrast analysis,
observing the principle of inherent worth of native culture / native language - non-native culture /
non-native language" [3]. O.N. Alexeyenko designs a development model of speech culture of
students of pedagogical university, a feature of which is its implementation in the process of
studying a foreign language [4]; E.G. Obukhova explores the possibilities of developing the speech
culture of students of a pedagogical university by means of a foreign language [5]. We proceed
from the principle which implies that while studying a foreign language, the influence of another's
culture is much wider than just on adjusting various aspects of speech. According to S.G. Ter-
Minasova, the relationship and interaction of language and reality, language and culture play a
crucial role both in improving the forms and effectiveness of communication, and in teaching
foreign languages; their ignoring explains many failures in international contacts and in pedagogical
practice. The most common metaphors in discussing this topic: language is the mirror of the
surrounding world; it reflects reality and creates its own world view, specific and unique for each
language and, accordingly, each nation, ethnic group, speech community using this language as a
means of communication [2].
G.Neuner and H. Hunfeld believe that when learning a foreign language, it is necessary to
encourage students to understand not only the language material, but also the world of the speakers
of the given language, and through a foreign language they could better understand their own world.
As a result, they come to a conclusion, that it is necessary to study topics that excite all people,
regardless of their country of residence and culture. They call these topics universal and propose
their list, which includes:
- existence on the earth (birth, life, death);
- evidence of identity (self-awareness, personal characteristics);
- social identification in the sphere of personal relations (family, "we" - experience);
- social identification in the sphere of public relations (neighbors, the state, etc.: "they" -
experience);
- partnership relations(friendship, love: "you" - experience);
- dwelling (house, apartment);
- the outworld outside the private sphere (environment, nature, civilization, etc.);
- work (provision of means of living);
- education (moral values in society);
- provision (food, clothing, etc.);
- mobility (experience of moving in space, communication);
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- free time / art (rational life arrangement);
- communication (use of media);
- health care (health, illness, hygiene);
- normative and value orientation (ethical principles, religious convictions, etc.);
- historical and chronological experience (past, present, future);
- spirituality and soul (reflection, imagination, fantasy, memories, emotions, etc.). [6, 108-
111]
It is generally accepted that a linguistic identity, i. e. speech behavior of a person should be
viewed through the prism of the oral and written texts he creates, called discourse, in which he
presents his perception of the world and realizes the communicative intention. The text reveals
peculiarities of its creator's thinking, his or her individual speech structure, and the way of thinking
of the speaker or the writer. The text is a paradigm of the lexical and grammatical means defined by
its author for expressing the author's "I". Actually, creation of the learner's own text whether in oral
or written form is the ultimate goal of teaching any language and thus forming a linguistic identity.
A linguistic identity is formed in the process of intercultural communication, proceeding
according to other laws as opposed to communication between representatives of the same culture,
which are constantly and implicitly based on a well-known cultural background.
Learning a foreign language is based on various texts. By texts we mean in this context not
only written or spoken verbally message; a text is a film, a song, a poem, a fairy tale, an article, a
speech, a report, a textbook, etc.
Foreign texts, whether they are the author's texts written before making a film, serve broadly
as a source of meaningful semantic information and new vocabulary for the students, provide ample
opportunities for thinking about the language, information, its author and the author's attitude
towards the information reported, are a model of making his or her own statement, etc. The use of
them in the process of teaching a language allows you to get acquainted not only with the history,
geography, culture, political structure of the country, its economic development, etc., but also, first
and foremost, use the information of these texts to "turn" the students to formation process of their
own texts whether in oral or written form.
In the 21st century, the need to update the content and methods of teaching foreign and non-
native languages became evident. Today it concerns not only teaching phonetics, vocabulary and
grammar, but rather teaching different culture, realizing the multilingual character of the modern
world. Our society needs to realize that only respecting and accepting people of a different culture,
exchanging the best achievements in the world cognition with them, we will be able to understand
each other. This education can be called intercultural, because it occurs between the bearers of
different cultures.
Intercultural tuition is an educational and developmental process in which both cultures
(native and foreign-language) play an important role, both cultural differences and cultural
convergence manifest themselves, resulting in a certain third culture characterized by a new view of
one's own linguistic identity and an intermediate position between native and foreign culture.
W. Steinig and H. - W. Huneke believe that in the 21st century reading and working with
fictional worlds of fine literature can contrast with the attraction of material culture. At the same
time, students should know that literary texts always contain lexical gaps that give them, as readers,
intellectual freedom, to fill them with their own meanings [7, 39].
Modern students read a little, their readership experience is limited to the experience gained
earlier at school, then to the specialty educational material, and as students of language specialties
of universities they get acquainted with the works of classic and modern English-language
literature. So, first-year students were asked to name the author of the phrase "To be or not to be,
that's the question". Fifteen students among 27 that participated in the survey responded in the
affirmative (Shakespeare, Hamlet), twelve students replied in the negative.
25 students among 27 survey participants have favorite authors and books, among them first
year students of the specialty "Foreign Language: Two Foreign Languages" noted: "Dandelion
Wine" by R. Bradbury, "Sniper Laws in the Universe" by D. Sillov, "The Cathedral Notre-Dame de
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Paris" by V. Hugo,"Anna Karenina" by L.N. Tolstoy, "Makhambet's Arrow " by A. Alimzhanov,
"Ulpan her name" by G. Musrepov, "The Captain's daughter" by A.S. Pushkin, "Harry Potter" by
J.K. Rowling, "Words of edification" by Abai Kunanbayev, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by
L. Carroll, "My Best Enemy" by Eli Frey, fairytales, works by J. Verne, "The Lord of the Rings" by
J.R. Tolkien , "Scarlet Sails" by A. Green, "My Autobiography" by Alex Ferguson, "A Thousand
and One Nights" fairy tales, "The Sky Was Falling in the Fall" and "Eugene Onegin" by A.S.
Pushkin, "War and Peace" by L.N. Tolstoy, "Singing in the thorns" by Colin McCullough,
"Children of the dungeon" by V. Korolenko, "Love of life" by Jack London, "It" by Stephen King,
"The fate of a man" by M. Sholokhov, "Mtsyri" by M.Yu. Lermontov, poems of S.A. Yesenin, "The
Master and Margarita" by M. Bulgakov, "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, "The Book Thief"
by Marcus Zusak, "Up the Down Staircase" by Bel Kaufman, "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret
Mitchell, "Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde , "Hamlet" by W. Shakespeare, etc.
The table below shows the precedent texts known to first-year students from the school
curriculum. The most memorable are A.S. Pushkin, S.A. Yesenin, M.Yu. Lermontov, F.M.
Dostoyevsky, L.N. Tolstoy. It is gratifying that somebody's soul was touched by the poems of F.I.
Tyutchev, A.A. Fyet, the fables of I.A. Krylov, but it was surprising that A.P. Chekhov was
mentioned only once:
Table 1. – Precedent texts (the Russian standard authors, whose names were marked by the
students in the questionary)
The authors
Number
of
students
Students’
percentage (%)
1
A.S. Pushkin
27
100
2
S.A. Yesenin
19
70,3
3
M.Yu. Lermontov
18
66,7
4
F.M.Dostoyevsky
17
63,0
5
L.N.Tolstoi
15
55,6
6
N.V. Gogol
6
22,2
7
N.A. Nekrasov
5
18,5
8
I.S.Turgenev
4
14,8
9
F.I. Tyutchev
3
11,1
1
0
A.A. Fyet
2
7,4
1
1
I.A. Krylov
1
3,7
1
2
A.P. Chekhov
1
3,7
1
3
A.S. Griboyedov
1
3,7
1
4
M.Ye. Saltykov- Schedrin
1
3,7
Note: [compiled by the author]
To a lesser extent, first-year students are familiar with the creative work of writers of the
Soviet-era, and they noted more poets than writers, among them the most familiar is the creative
work of A. Akhmatova. The name of D. Dontsova, the author of "ironic detectives", the most
widely-read writer in modern Russia can be considered as nonsense in this list. Among the Russian
Soviet writers also F.M. Dostoyevsky, L.N. Tolstoy, A.S. Pushkin, M.Yu. Lermontov, A.A. Fyet
and F.I. Tyutchev were mentioned.
Table 2. – Precedent texts (the Russian Soviet writers, whose names the students know)
The author
Number
of
students
Students’
percentage (%)
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1
Anna Akhmatova
6
22,2
Mikhail Sholokhov
4
14,8
2
Mikhail Bulgakov
2
7,4
3
Marina Tsvetayeva
2
7,4
4
Darya Dontsova
2
7,4
5
Vladimir Vysotski
1
3,7
6
Boris Pasternak
1
3,7
7
Bulat Okudzhava
1
3,7
8
Aleksandr Tvardovsky
1
3,7
9
Bella Akhmadullina
1
3,7
1
0
Sergei Yesenin
1
3,7
1
1
Kornei Chukovski
1
3,7
1
2
Aleksandr Blok
1
3,7
Note: [compiled by the author]
Table 3 presents the names of eighteen Kazakh writers which are familiar to the first year
students of the experimental group. This list is headed by Abai Kunanbayev, followed by Mukhtar
Auezov, Ybray Altynsarin, Zhambyl Zhabaev. It should be noted that the table includes the most
famous representatives of Kazakh literature. However, it is regrettable that not all students of the
experimental group are familiar with their work.
Table 3. - Precedent texts (Kazakh writers, whose names students know)
The author
Number
of
students
Students’
percentage (%)
1
Abai Kunanbayev
17
63,0
2
Mukhtar Auezov
9
33,3
3
Ybrai Altynsarin
7
25,9
4
Zhambyl Zhabayev
7
25,9
5
Saken Seifullin
5
18,5
6
Magzhan Zhumabayev
4
14,8
7
Gabit Musrepov
4
14,8
8
Beimbet Mailin
3
11,1
9
Shakarim Kudaiberdiyev
2
7,4
1
0
Sabit Mukanov
1
3,7
1
1
Olzhas Suleimenov
1
3,7
1
2
Gabiden Mustafin
1
3,7
1
3
Ilyas Essenberlin
1
3,7
1
4
Chingiz Aitmatov
1
3,7
1
5
Sultanmakhmut Toraigyrov
1
3,7
1
6
Mukagali Makatayev
1
3,7
1
Berdibek Sokpakbayev
1
3,7
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58
7
1
8
Malik Gabdullin
1
3,7
Note: [compiled by the author]
The source of cultural information for students is classic and contemporary works of foreign
literature, life histories of writers. Reading such works of foreign literature in the original language
as "Picture of Dorian Gray", "Sister Carrie", "Jennie Gerhardt", "Theater", "King Lear", "Hotel
Bertram" - we can see how diverse they are - students are inspired with life atmosphere, problems
of these works' heroes , they live by their life, assess their actions, sympathize with them and
condemn them, etc [8, 276].
CONCLUSION
So, working on the texts of the classics of English literature such as Charlotte Bronte, the
stories of O. Henry, S. Maugham, A. Christie, Oscar Wilde, and others not only broadens students'
minds, enriches their vocabulary with new words, but above all, brings into a world of other
relationships and concepts between members of a distant community called England, America, etc.
Reading modern texts, for example "The Reader" by Bernhard Schlink, in which the themes of
guilt, Nazism, forgiveness, makes us think about good and evil, their modern appearance, etc.
Thus, we come to the conclusion that the same problems are found in the cultures and
languages of each nation. At the same time, in the culture of each nation there are specific cultural
values, fixed in its language, moral standards, beliefs, behavioral features, etc. It is the presence of
common cultural values and a common scale of moral values that provides an opportunity for
mutual understanding between nations. At the same time, each nation has its own cultural values
and shapes stereotypes of consciousness and behavior, based on their own outlook.
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formation of culture and spirituality//Bulletin of kokshetau state university named Sh. Ualikhanov.
Жумагулова Н.С., Глухарева Е.И. Philology series – №3. – 2015. – P.275-278.
Н.С. Жумагулова
1
, А.А. Ахетова
2
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