Language Policy in Kyrgyzstan

The aspects of the de jure or overt language policy attract many researchers, which is reasonable given the importance of legislation in nation-building. Scholars also pay attention to the de facto and covert language policies, which include informal and non-written aspects of language policy that can shed light on practical problems on the grassroots level. In the selected context, relying upon only one aspect would lead to an incomplete understanding of the subject since there is usually a gap between Kyrgyzstan's de jure and de facto language policies. Therefore, this thesis approached the topic considering both aspects. Such an inclusive study produces thick material for analysis and increases the validity of conclusions by triangulating data from different sources. This study aimed to answer the following research questions: 1. What LP has been implemented in Kyrgyzstan? 2. How has LP affected the target group? 3. What language attitudes and beliefs currently prevail in the target group? The first research question was assessed using Tollefson's historical-structural approach based on analyzing legislative documents, historical materials, university websites, and dissertation catalogs. These methods helped identify the reasons that significantly contributed to the failure of constructing the Soviet identity in Kyrgyzstan. The reasons included covert, implicit, and vague policies, which have driven the de jure and de facto language policies in different directions. Hopefully, the findings of this thesis will shed some light in these directions by raising awareness among leaders and people about the sources of the problem. The second and third questions required in-depth interviews and surveys since many answers to these questions are only sometimes available online. They can only be studied through direct access to primary sources. Data from 850 participants, including 82 in the pilot study and ten expert interviews, show that previous language policies have created many problems that participants must overcome. These problems lie in the participants' divergent perceptions of their identities and mutually exclusive beliefs in decisive aspects of nation-building, often resulting in discrimination based on their demographic characteristics. Further research on the effect of faculties' international experience and students' English skills on forming language beliefs would provide a leap forward. Meanwhile, the findings and results of this study, which have been identified based on a broad spectrum of theories and methodologies in previous publications in English, Russian, Kyrgyz, and other languages of the researcher, can serve as a source of information for researchers, curriculum developers, and language managers