It may not be the best reason in the world .. but it can be hard to argue with

As I mentioned in a previous postcard the Oxford English Dictionary declared selfie as the Word of the Year for 2013, citing its rapid increase in usage as the reason for their choice.  Well, the selection of the guardians of the English language has a competitor … in the choice of the American Dialect Society: because.

Now, Selfie isn’t exactly a new word … apparently it was first coined by an Australian writing on Social Media back in 2002 when describing how he took a photograph of himself when he was a little bit the worse on account of the drink he had consumed … and it seemed to describe the incident well, catching the moment, as they say, and it caught on.  The reason it was given the honour of being named the Word of the Year was that there an explosion in the amount and way that it was used … gaining common acceptance.

Because isn’t a new word either, having been around since … well, forever or so it seems.  According to one dictionary it can be traced back to the Middle English construction bi cause which literally means “by cause” and is used to lead into the reason for something … Like “selfie” it explicitly describes its meaning.  The reason it was selected as the Word of the Year by the Americans was the way that it was being used in a new and innovative ways changing its role in the language from being a mere subordinating conjunction.  (yes … well …).

Tersely worded rationales like “because science”, “because fun” or “because tired” have become not merely accepted … but they can convey so much more.  It can be used ironically – or simply to cut off further discussion … “because science – there … that’s it … there’s nothing more to be said … end of conversation” with an implication of “you must be stupid not to get it”.

To be honest, the story took me by surprise as this new meme has passed me by out here in Kyrgyzstan.  Like “Sit on it” or “Well wicked” back in the eighties … you have to be in situ to get the full feel of the social phenomenon.  On the other hand, it was well explained and it did fit in with something I have mentioned before …

I once overheard a conversation between mother and child – I was tempted to say on the Clapham Omnibus, but I think the reference might be a bit obscure … and there’s already been enough of that in this particular postcard.  Anyway, the conversation went something like this:

• Don’t do that
• Why not?
• Because people won’t like you if you do
• Why not?
• Because it’s not nice?
• Why not?
• Because people don’t like that sort of thing
• Why not?

and so it went on until

• Why not?
• Because I said so!
• Why?
• BECAUSE !!!

Here there ‘s a similar phrase – Potomu shto! – used in a very similar way: ”there … that’s it … there’s nothing more to be said … end of conversation“ with an implication of “you must be stupid not to get it“.

All of this got me thinking … that could be a great slogan Because Kyrgyzstan … for example placed over a photograph of the mountains, a yurt, a snow leopard, skiers, sunbathers on a beach … hey … “Because Kyrgyztan” –  ”there … that’s it … there’s nothing more to be said … end of conversation“.

Actually, the more I though about it, I decided that preferred a slightly different approach: Why Kyrgyzstan … Because …

Why Kyrgyzstan? … Because Mountains

Why Kyrgyzstan? … Because History

Why Kyrgyzstan? … Because The Silk Road

Why Kyrgyzstan? … Because Nomadic Traditions

Why Kyrgyzstan? … Because Traditional Hospitality

Why Kyrgyzstan? … Because Adventure

Why Kyrgyzstan? … Because Skiing

Why Kyrgyzstan … Because … 

I’m sure you get the idea … or, to quote another postcard:

Why Kyrgyzstan? … Because Why Not?

Well, what do you reckon?

St. Jerome in his study by Domenico Ghirlandaio

Today is International Translation Day.

The day was established in 1991 by the International Federation of Translators, (an international grouping of more than 100 professional associations – representing over 80 000 translators in 55 countries.)

For the record: The Federation was established in 1953 to promote professionalism, improve conditions for the profession in all countries and to uphold translators’ rights and freedom of expression.

The date – 30th September – was selected as it happens to be the feast day of St. Jerome, the son of Eusabius who is best known for his translation of the Bible into Latin, (the Vulgate), although as a writer, historian and translator, he actually wrote an awful lot of other things as well.

He retired to the desert of Chalcis, where he lived for four years as an ascetic hermit and studied Hebrew and Chaldean languages. In his own words, he had “only scorpions and wild beasts” as companions. In 386, he settled in Bethlehem, where he produced his translation of the Bible into Latin.

According to a popular legend, Jerome took a splinter from the paws of a lion, which became a loyal friend … and in many paintings he is portrayed sitting in his cell, writing, and next to him is a lion.

St Jerome died near Bethlehem, on 30th September, 420, and is now considered the patron saint of translators.

I have a lot of admiration for translators as, I have to confess, I am not particularly good at learning languages.  At school I learned French, (but I was never very good at it), and for a few weeks at college, (as a Theology student), I had classes in New Testament Greek.  Whenever I went abroad on holiday I always made a point of trying to learn a few phrases in the local language – but I was never fluent or confident.

These days, I find I can still read some French – unless it is technical or complicated, but I have forgotten all the Greek, (I can literally and honestly say that “it’s all Greek to me!”).  I know enough Russian “to get by” …  but, once again, I cannot say that I am exactly confident.

I am sometimes asked to look at translations of texts written in Russian and asked to proof read them.  I don’t like doing it as I am not a translator … I don’t know Russian well enough to know the intricacies of the language.    There is a lot more to translation than simply replacing a word in one language with the equivalent in another.    Many words have lots of meanings and then there are questions of syntax, not to mention “fuzzy” aspects of language.

When I go to a conference, seminar or round table, there is often a simultaneous translation provided.  The participants speak into a microphone and the interpreter, sitting in a booth, listens to what is said through earphones … translating it as he goes along … the other participants listening through earphones.  I am often by their expertise,

When it comes to learning Kyrgyz, I have to admit that I am somewhat embarrassed in my lack of progress after eighteen years … but then I live in Bishkek where everyone speaks Russian, (… or they seem to want to practice their English).  It’s actually a great help living in a Russian speaking environment and having to use the language in everyday life … it gives an immediacy that is not present in a classroom.  I have no doubt that if I lived in Naryn, Issyk Kul or Talas, then I would probably have done a better job at picking up Kyrgyz.

As a teacher of Computing and Information Technology, one of the topics we had to cover was the difference between different types of translation programs: Assemblers, Compilers and Interpreters.

All three take a computer program and turns them into machine instructions on which a computer can act directly – Machine code - instructions expressed in Binary, a series of 0s and 1s.  This is not exactly conducive for humans.  As a result, computer programs are written in  specially designed language which has aspects which resemble human natural languages.

There are literally hundreds of computer languages but they can be divided into two groups: high-level and low-level languages.

For the record: Computer languages can also be classified on other criteria.

Low level languages tend to be less abstract and tied to particular processors.  High-level languages, on the other hand, are designed to be easier to use, more abstract, and more portable.  Whatever language is used, they have to be translated into machine instructions … and this is where Assemblers, compilers and Interpreters come in.

The Assembler and Compiler are like the translator who has to take the text, (such as a book), and produce a version in a different language.  They have to scan the text, analyze it and translate it, producing a complete new version.

The Interpreter is a program which takes a single piece of code, scanning, analyzing, translating it and executing it before moving onto the next one.

There is currently a lot of discussion about the possibility of Kyrgyz being included as a language in Google Translate.   I have to admit that I find the prospect exciting but, as I said, it’s a lot more complicated than simply producing a list providing lists of equivalent words and phrases.  It is quite an undertaking and I wish them luck in producing the package and eagerly await news of their progress.

The punchline in the story, of course, is that “Spanish” is unexpected … everyone thinks that the official language of the United States is English – but that’s not strictly speaking true … as the US doesn’t have an official language.  Only twenty eight out of the fifty states have adopted legislation granting English status as the “Official” language, (including Hawaii which also accords this status to Hawaiian).

Nebraska was the first state to enact such a provision, in 1923, (although the constitution of New Mexico grants a special status to Spanish – adopted in 1912 – but apparently this isn’t the same as being declared an “official” language), and the latest to do so was Oklahoma in 2010.  New Mexico, though

The others have no ordinances as to an official language.

The predominance of English is probably due to the fact that the vast majority of Americans are English speakers, over 230 million of the 286 million which make up the population.  Spanish is the second most common language with 35 million speakers – a long way ahead of the next contender.  In some states, however, (such as Texas and New Mexico), Spanish is almost as common as English and the states are sometimes described as bilingual.

Maine and Louisiana are likewise considered bilingual – but in the case the second language is French – which lags a little behind the Chinese and Filipino families of languages with about 1.3 million speakers.

Here in Kyrgyzstan, we do have an Official Language – Russian … but we also have a State Language – Kyrgyz, (which seems to have a higher status).  Kyrgyz was adopted as the State Language in the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic on 23rd September, 1989, just two years before the dissolution of the Soviet Union.  As a result, today has been adopted as the Day of the State Language in Kyrgyzstan.

Although the “holiday” is today, at school, the kids actually commemorated it last Friday with recitals of Kyrgyz poetry, music, posters on the wall and so on.

As it happens, this question of language is quite important in modern day Kyrgyzstan … and can be highly charged with emotional, political and social significance.

Which should not actually be all that surprising.  After all, language was one of the characteristics used to distinguish between ethnic groupings during the debate of the “Nationalities Question”, shortly after the 1917 Revolution.  It was, and it still is, one of the main distinguishing marks used in helping to define the Kyrgyz as a people.

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Shortly after Independence, in what was perceived by some to be nationalistic move, a law was passed in 1992 that called for all the affairs of the state to be conducted only in Kyrgyz – with a five year deadline for this to be implemented.  Some steps were taken as a result – many of the forms and documents were produced in bilingual forms – with both Russian and Kyrgyz headings.  It became a requirement to speak Kyrgyz in order to hold certain public offices – particularly that of President, Prime Minister and Toroga, (Speaker of the Parliament).

However, in 1996, a new law was passed granting Russian the status as an Official Language alongside Kyrgyz, probably as a measure of rapprochement with the local, regional, “big player” … in political, economic and other spheres of influence.  Although this might imply some form of U-Turn in official policy … the issue has continued to be raised periodically.

Sometimes, for example, some of the deputies sometimes create a fuss when Ministers reply to questions about their department in Russian rather than Kyrgyz.  One deputy in particular asked a question the other day about the competence of certain officials, asking how would some basic words like prikaz and postavleniye be translated into Kyrgyz, (Order and Resolution), but it was interesting to notice that press reports didn’t give the answers – buiruk and toktom.

Then again, a couple of week’s ago, one deputy criticized many of the Kyrgyz versions of the documents that they are presented with as being ungrammatical – although, he said, the Russian version reads fine, but the translation is not good.  His solution was to draft the Bills in Kyrgyz first and then translate them into Russian.

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One of the problems seems to be, however, that although there is a State Commission for the promotion of the Kyrgyz language, there appears to be some confusion over what constitutes a definitive version of the language – particularly between variations that seem to be evident between the Kyrgyz of different regions.  I was told, for example, by one person, (a native Russian speaker), that when her 16 year old son asked a neighbour (a native Kyrgyz speaker) to help with his Kyrgyz Language homework for school, he was awarded a mark of 2 – the equivalent of a D.  When he asked his stupefied neighbour what had happened, he was told that “I come from the Chui oblast – your teacher comes for Osh”.  That could, of course, simply be a case of the neighbour trying to “save face” in an embarrassing situation … but I cite it as an example of my point: the fact that there seems to be problems of defining the language.

Even if it is an overstatement of the problem, it shouldn’t surprise us too much … after all, Language is a dynamic feature of human culture, rather than a static one.  It changes over the course of time and adapts to circumstances and new situations.  The English as spoken and written by Shakespeare was quite different than the English we speak today, for example, and, indeed, he is even partly responsible for many of the features of contemporary usage.

Now, I am not a linguist, (yet alone a linguistic historian), but I am told that there are several observable periods, or stages, that can be traced in the historical development of the Kyrgyz language:

• the “ancient” period, (during the 8th and 9th centuries), when their language one of a family of Old Turkic languages written in runes and the basis of many of the traditional epic sagas were laid, at least in oral form;
• the “middle ages”, (between the 10th and 15th centuries),
• the “new Kyrgyz period”, (from the 15th century onwards), which saw the codification of the language with the introduction of a written language … and is divided into four phases:
  • from the 15th century through to the mid 18th century, when tribes maintained close ties with each other;
  • the period between the mid-18th century to the time of the Great October Revolution … which saw diversification between the tribes;
  • the Soviet period when a single nation, (and language), was formed … and
  • the post Soviet period, which has seen a rapid development with a broadening the user base of the language along with borrowings from English and other languages to add to the traditional forms.

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The important think about language, it seems to me, is that it is all about “communication” and, as such, status is not as important as functionality.  Although English is by far the most commonly used language in America, there are times and places where another language is not only a good idea because it facilitates communication between people, but it may actually be preferable.

Of course, in order to gain the most out of a visit to Kyrgyzstan – be it on business or vacation – then learning about the local people and their culture … and their language … will help people understand and communicate with each other more effectively.

Likewise, if Kyrgyzstan wants to work in the international arena, then it has to learn something about the culture and language of their partners … whether it be Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Russian … or whatever.

In a way, it shouldn’t be all that surprising … the phonetics of different languages vary considerably.

The letters of the alphabet are represent different phonemes – sounds associated with them – and although some of them are similar to those used in English, many of them are different.  Then there are ones that are not found in English at all.

There are several phonemes in Russian that I find very difficult, (if not impossible), to produce.  The classic is the letter “р” which is the Cyrillic letter “r” – but it is a “rolling r” where the tongue vibrates, as in a Scottish “r”, and that is something I have never been able to do.  Then there are “Ж“, which is sometimes pronounced as a hard “j” or “dj” and sometimes as “dzh“, or “ы“, which is usually transcribed in English as a “y” but often is pronounced as “ee“.  Although it doesn’t cause any problem for locals, I can never tell the difference between “ш“, (which is pronounced “sh“) and  ”щ“, (which is an elongated “schch“).

That’s not to mention the modulating effects of the hard and soft markers, (“ь” and “ъ“); I have never really got the hang of those.  My Russian teacher once tried to coach me in the effect of the merkez znak, (hard sign), by getting me to say the the word “фильм” over and over again, about twenty five times in rapid succession.  As far as I can tell, it’s pronounced film, but she insisted that it was more like fil-m, “fill-em” or fill-má.  After hearing me say, ”film, film, film, film, film … “, she would go “No, no, no, no … fill-em, fill-em, fill-em”, then after the next “O!, Yes, that’s it, you’ve got it!”, only to cry “Nooooooo!!!” after then next iteration.

Other letters look familiar because they resemble a letter in the English alphabet, but they may have a different phoneme associated with then.  The letter “c“, for example is not pronounced “see” but as an “s” – “es“.

And it’s not just a difference between the Cyrillic and Latin alphabets,  In the British Isles, for example, the dighraph, (the letter combination), “Ll” in Welsh produces a guttural sound.  One website actually calls it the “dreaded Ll sound”.  In English it is usually pronounced “chl” with the ch being pronounced as in the Scottish word “loch“; not as in “church“.  It’s important because it appears in so many place names in Wales, (such as Llanelli), as “Llan” is the Welsh for “the parish of …”.

It’s also not helped by the fact that the same letter can have different sounds associated with it … as, indeed, happens in English.  Take the letter “г” as an example – in some cases it is the equivalent of a guttural “g” in English, (as in the word English), but at other times it is pronounced as a “v“.  A lot depends on the place of the letter in the particular word and the other letters which either precede of follow it.

Then there are different digraphs – “ay“, for example, is pronounced “ow” which is why many locals see my name written in English and call me Mr. “Slowter“.

More interestingly, if you listen to the same speaking in English and Russian, then they appear to speak in a totally different manner … almost as if they were a different person.  I always used to put it down to the fact that they had to concentrate more in the one language than they did in the other, especially as they seemed to speak more slowly and precisely in English.

Now, however, I suspect that it is more a factor of cultural differences.  Often, for example, they speak much more loudly and more more forcefully in Russian than they do in English – and I have noticed the same tendency in people who don’t speak another language at all.

I don’t know if I exhibit the same difference when I speak in Russian.

When it comes to Kyrgyz, it is even more complicated because they have three additional letters and not all correspond with either the English or Cyrillic phonemes.  Try as I might, I can never tell the difference between the three different “oo” sounds.

All this confusion over pronunciation led to a running joke which, although it has generally run it’s course, still emerges from time to time.

On one particular occasion I was so so het-up and frustrated about the problem I was experiencing, I burst out with something like, “Oh, I don’t get it … I can’t cope … what’s the difference?, Kamaz, Komuz, Kymyz?”, (“камаз, комуз, кымыз?”).

Actually, there is quite a big difference:

A Kamaz Truck - a "people mover"

Kamaz is the name of a truck manufacturer.  It’s a portmaneau word which stands for Kama Automobile Zavod, (or Kama Automobile Factory).  It opened in 1976 and is now a term used to refer to any heavy duty lorry or truck, such as the ones they specialize in producing.  It’s based in Tatarstan, (although there are also also foreign manufacturing facilities in places as far afield as: Afghanistan, Chile, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Panama, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, the Ukraine, Venezuela and Vietnam).  It is the largest  producer of trucks in Russia producing over 260 vehicles a day for haulage companies and even the Russian Army.  Their vehicles are very sturdy and some of the tour companies have some of their “people movers” designed to transport army personnel over almost any terrain.  Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the company was privatized and reorganized as an “Open Joint Stock Company” – although the Russian state still maintains a 49% holding in the company.

The Komuz - the traditional Kyrgyz instrument

The Komuz is a stringed instrument, made from a single piece of wood (apricot or juniper are the favoured timbers), and plucked like a guitar. While playing it, the three strings are clasped by the left hand to the fingerboard and the right hand is used to pluck the strings in a variety of ways to draw out the sounds. It is a very old instrument – and is mentioned in Chinese Chronicles written over 2000 years ago.  There are a number of legends about the origin of the komuz.   One tells of a Kyrgyz hunter, Kambarkan, who knew the “language” of many birds and wild animals, so that he could recognise them each by their voice. Once, when he was in the forest, he heard a new and wonderful sound.  He decided to investigate and discovered two branches of a tree connected by the dried intestine of a squirrel.  The sound seemed to emanate from that “string”.  “Perhaps,” he thought to himself, “she had tried jumping from one branch of the tree to another, but cut herself open”.  Anyway, he took the string and a piece of wood from the tree and fashioned for himself a musical instrument – the Komuz … and he became known as the Father of Melody.  Another legend tells how an old komuzist befriended a nightingale … that was entranced by his playing that she asked him to teach her to sing like the komuz – giving rise to a saying that the instrument taught even the nightingale how to sing.

Milking a mare

Kymyz is the Kyrgyz spelling for Kumyz, (or Khoumis), which is the national drink made of fermented mare’s milk.  Once collected, the milk is stored in animal skins (a “chinach”), which has been cleaned and smoked over a fire of pine branches to give the drink a special smell and taste; mixed with a third of the previous day’s supply and the new mixture is allowed to ferment in the warmth of the yurt. It is then churned, beaten with a wooden stick, (a “bishkek” – from which the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic takes its name), and it becomes mildly alcoholic, (about 2% proof), before turning into lactic acid.

"Please sir, I want some more" - "Dagy ichine salyp beresizbi" not "Dagy solyp beringhzchi"

When it mes to learning Kyrgyz, I have an interesting little problem.  Because I don’t take proper lessons and only dip n and out of exercises every now and again, my knowledge of Kyrgyz vocabulary and grammar is very haphazard.

As a result, I am not really surprised when I come across a word that I am sure I have met before … but simply cannot remember what it means … or when I want to say something and start fishing around in my memory banks to see if can fish it out.  In fact there are a lot of words which I ought to know because I do use them from time to time, but I still find myself having to dredge through the depths of my memory …

I know, for example … that Jok means No, but I always seem to have trouble recalling the opposite … that is, the word for Yes … for the record,  it’s Ova.

I have n trouble with some of the numbers: ece for two (as in Ece Naryn – a village just outside the city and called “Naryn 2″ to avoid confusion); besh for five, (as in Beshbarmack,  five fingers – the archetypal dish of Kyrgyz cuisine … and Beshkempir, five grandmothers – a sort of informal village council which traditionally decides certain social questions such as the adoption and care of orphans); djety for seven, (as in Djety Oguz – SevenBulls),  on for ten (as in On Archa – Ten Junipers, or On Korgon – Ten Guards) … and so on.

I know how to say Thank You, (rakmat and that chon rakhmat means “Thank you very much” or “Thanks a lot” … without the sarcasm), and that eshti kemiz is the equivalent of “You’re welcome”, or “It’s nothing”, or “Don’t mention it”.  I try to make a point of using these words when and where ever it seems appropriate; for example, when shopping.

The other day I was out shopping and when I went to ask the shop assistant for something, I realized that I couldn’t recall the word for Please.  As it happened she was fluent in both Russian and English and so I was able to rephrase my question without exposing my ignorance.

It seemed such a basic word … not just a “nicety” but an important word that I should be using several times every day …  so, when I got back home I started going through the phrase books … and, to my amazement, couldn’t find an entry for “please”.  So, I started asking around.

It was really interesting. Virtually everyone had to stop and think … one girl, (a Kyrgyz girl, a friend of Andrei’s), after a ten second gap, reached for her mobile phone and rang her mother … and there ensued something like a ten minute conversation as she explained the question.

Eventually, however, everyone seemed to come up with the same answer: “There isn’t one.  We don’t really say that.” (!)

It’s not a sign that the Kyrgyz are rude in any way.  On the contrary, etiquette is very important in Kyrgyz society.  As one of my interlocutors explained it to me … “There is no word for please because it is dealt with in the grammar – the word endings.  You don’t just say, Berseng (“Give me that”), you say Beresizbi , ( “Give me that, please”).

To be fair, I have since come across two words which one Kyrgyz language manual translate as “please”: Suranych, (Сураныч), and Otunuch, (Отунуч) … but I am told that they translate as “request” as in I have a request … and as one of my friends, Calvin says … “I have never heard it used.”

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For some reason – Comments are closed … but I received the following information via Twitter:

“true! but actually instead of a separate word, we use suffix “-chi”, e.g. “berchi” – “give please”.”

and via Facebook:

“”no problem” may best be rendered as “ech nerse emes” or “echteke emes”"

The Rosetta Stone

When I first moved to London, (yes, London – not Kyrgyzstan), I took a week of my holiday before starting work to explore the city.  Although I had visited London before, it was only on specific trips to attend a conference or visit a theater, or something like that.  So, I bought a travel card which gave me unlimited travel on the city’s Underground and Bus network, and every morning I got up and set out with a list of what I wanted to see and do.

There was a lot to see and do and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to “do” the city properly in the time available, but the idea was to “get my bearings” and decide which places were worth a follow up visit later on … with more time to explore more thoroughly.  

I had, for example, set time aside to visit Parliament and attend a debate; see Rodin’s sculpture of the Burghers of Calais, then cross the road to Westminster Abbey before walking further on to the Roman Catholic Westminster Cathedral.  A trip to St. Paul’s Cathedral was combined with a the Law Courts and especially the Old Bailey where I sat in on a trial for about an hour.  Another occasion I traveled to Kensington, visited Harrod’s and the  museums,  (The Science Museum, the Natural History Museum, The Victoria and Albert Museum),  before walking up to the Albert Hall, the Albert Memorial and round Hyde Park.   

They don't look like right-angled triangles to me ...

One morning I trotted off to the British Museum where I was anxious to see the Rhind Papyrus – I wanted to see if that really was a generalized Right Angled Triangle, in which case the ancient Egyptians probably knew Pythagoras’ Theorem long before he did … or did the papyrus simply contain a number of specific examples which they knew knew from experience worked, without necessarily understanding why they did … like most people who have looked at it, I couldn’t make up my mind and remain unconvinced to this day as to which it was.   

In one of the Egyptian halls, I came across what looked like a large slab of stone with inscriptions … but unlike the petroglyphs which we have here in Kyrgyzstan, these inscriptions were laid out in neat lines and obviously represented writing.  At first I didn’t really understand what I was looking at, and then I read a notice nearby and did a double take.  So, this was the Rosetta Stone - which just happens to be the most visited object in the whole museum.   

Today marks the anniversary if the stone stele  in 1799 by a French soldier in of an incredible discovery in a small village in the Nile Delta.  I contained text written in three ancient scripts: Greek, Latin and Hieroglyphics.  At that time, no one was able to read the Egyptian hieroglyphics and it is possible that the texts might have passed without much attention, except for the fact that the Greek and Latin texts were identical, in that they were translations of an official decree issued by King Ptolemy V.       

Scholars wondered if the Hieroglyphics could be another vision in ancient Egyptian … and so it was analysed in detail and so it turned out to be.    The Rosetta Stone turned out to be a multi-lingual “dictionary” and as a result, we hare now able to unlock many of the secrets of an ancient culture.

When it comes to understanding Kyrgyz, I often use what I call the “Rosetta technique”.  It’s fine if I recognize the word, but if I don’t I look if to see if there is a Russian equivalent nearby which might help to illustrate its meaning.

Here is a lit of Kyrgyz words and their English equivalent … but it’s not meant to be a Kyrgyz-English dictionary as such … but a list of some Kyrgyz words which foreigners in Kyrgyzstan, (like me), might come across:

Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin

A few years ago I was talking to someone about literature, (books, poems and plays), and whereas I was being asked about Shakespeare and who was my favourite author … I also got asked if I had ever read anything by Alexander Sergeyevich.  I was confused and had admit my ignorance – “Who?”, I asked.

I was quickly put in my place with the exclamation, “Pushkin, of course!”

It’s a sign of his status that he is known simply by his first name and otchestva, (his father’s name).  In fact, he is considered to be the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature.

As well as poems he wrote “verse novel”, dramas, prose (such as short stories, critical assays and even correspondence) as well as fairy tales.

Now, to be honest, I am not really an aficionado of poetry … and so I had to admit that although I had heard of works like Evgeniy Onegin and Boris Gudenov the closest I had come was watching a performance of Evgeny Onegin at the Opera and Ballet Theater – and didn’t have the nerve to say that I found it quite difficult.

In fact, Pushkin’s verse remains largely unknown to English readers, mainly as a result of the difficulty of translation … in order to translate the one hundred pages of Evgeniy Onegin into English, Vladimir Nabokov produced a two volume version.

Mush of his work has inspired others – musical versions such as Tchaikovsky’s opera which caused me so much trouble and his verse play Mozart and Salieri was the inspiration for Peter Schaffer’s Amadeus.

Pushkin has played a significant role in the development of the language influencing many writers and even coining words and phrases where he found gaps in the Russian lexicon.

Alexander Segeyevich was born on 6th June 1799, into an aristocratic family in Moscow – although it is said the family were actually poor.    His father could trace his ancestry back to the Russian nobility of 12th century and his mother to noble houses of Germany and Scandinavia.

One of his maternal great grandfather’s however, had been a black African page, (although it’s not clear exactly where from – for example, from Ethiopia of Cameroon), who had been brought to Russia as a slave and raised in the court of Peter the Great.  He received an education in France as a Military Engineer and rose in the ranks to become responsible for the construction of seaports and canals in Russia.

He published his first poem, “To a friend of the poet“,  at the age of 15 and by the time he left school he was already well regarded in literary circles.

He became involved in social reform, emerging as a a champion for literary radicals – which got him into trouble with the authorities which got him sent away from the capital (twice) and hindered further publication for a while.

Proud of his honour, he apparently fought a total of 29 duels defending it during his life – and one of them was to result in his death, (from a wound to the spleen from a shot by his opponent – he died two days afterwards.)

Another sign of his significance is that his birthday has been chosen as the Day of the Russian Language, which aims “to preserve, support and development of the Russian language as the national heritage of the peoples of the Russian Federation means of international communication, and an integral part of the cultural and spiritual heritage of world civilization.”

Russian is apparently one of the five most used languages in the world, (along with English, Spanish, Chinese and Hindi), with more than 10 million speakers, and, with about two thirds of those speaking it as a second language, can be considered one of the world’s international languages.  All the astronauts visiting the International Space Station are required to know Russian.

Russian is, of course, the second language of Kyrgyzstan – with the status of an “official language” … used in many official proceedings and publications … although some see that status as being under threat by the insistence of the prominence of, and measures adopted to support the development of the State Language – Kyrgyz.

Now, although Pushkin traveled considerably throughout the then Tsarist Empire, he never made it as far as Kyrgyzstan … which at that time was still a far off land under foreign suzerainty.  Despite that, he is still held in high regard.

Here in Bishkek, a statue to the Great Man was erected to commemorate the 200th anniversary of his birth on Kievskaya, outside the building of the Slavic University.  The Russian Embassy and many of the cultural groups will be marking the day in a number of events.

So … Happy Birthday Alexander Sergeyevich!

I confess to a certain amount of confusion.

On 2nd April, 2004, President Akaev signed the law on the State Language : Kyrgyz.  Four years earlier, however, (on 29th May, 2000), he had signed another law defining the Official language of the Kyrgyz Republic : Russian.

My problem is that I don’t understand these two terms.

This is partly because, in Britain, we don’t have an Official Language.  Although English is the “dominant language”, there is, (at least as far as I am aware),  no formal designation of it, (or any other language), as an official language.

For the record: I can find several definitions for the term “official language” in the literature, and a summary of them might be:  An official language is one that is given a special legal status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically it is the language used within its government – its courts, parliament, administration, etc. in order to run its operations and conduct its business.

This suggests that an official language is the language used by “government”, and not necessarily that of “the people”.

Custom and practice may give English a de facto status in the UK so that it is accepted as the “official languiage” … but the de jure status can only granted by some legal instrument – such as in a constitution, law or decree – and in British law  the is no such instrument.

Now, although I can find definitions for the term “official language”, I cannot find a similar one for the term “state language”.  Indeed, most of the references I have found  simply refer to a definition for an official language … indeed the two terms seem to used interchangeably.  Indeed, one (Russian) legal dictionary tells us that:

In most countries (including RUSSIA) the notion of “official language” and “State language” are the same language. Only a few countries distinguish the status of official and state languages.

The only reference to a distinction between the two that I could find was:

Only a few countries distinguish the status of official and national languages ​​- in this case fixing the State Language in the constitution is largely symbolic in nature, (for example, in Switzerland, according to the Constitution, official languages are: German, French, and Italian, and State Languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh, though the latter is almost never used in state and public life).

That seems to imply that designation of a state language has a symbolic value … with the Swiss example suggesting that it refer to the language of the people rather than the language of the government … .

That doesn’t seem to be the case here in Kyrgyzstan … where the distinction is defined in Article 10 of the constitution:

Article 10.

1. The state language of the Kyrgyz Republic is the Kyrgyz language.
2. In the Kyrgyz Republic Russian is used as the official language.
3. The Kyrgyz Republic guarantees to representatives of all ethnicities forming the people of Kyrgyzstan, the right to native language preservation, creation of conditions for its studying and development.

However, this doesn’t help very much as difference in the terms is not defined.

In the law on the State language, (2004), the opening section defining the General Provisions has three articles which state:

Article 1.

According to the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic a state language of the Kyrgyz Republic is the Kyrgyz language.

The Kyrgyz language as one of the main bases of statehood of the Kyrgyz Republic functions without fail in all spheres of the state activity and local government in an order provided by the present Law and other laws of the Kyrgyz Republic.

In the Kyrgyz Republic as an official language Russian is used.

The Kyrgyz Republic guarantees to representatives of all nationalities forming the people of Kyrgyzstan, native language preservation, creation of conditions for its studying and development.

The infringement of the rights and freedom of citizens on the basis of ignorance state or an official language is not supposed.

…

Article 3.

The Kyrgyz language as is considered a state language also a language of international dialogue in the Kirghiz Republic.

Although the law has been amended four times, these particular provisions have not been amended.

Article 1 of the law on the official language, (2000), states:

The official language of the Kirghiz Republic is the language used along with a state language in sphere of the government, the legislation and legal proceedings of the Kyrgyz Republic, and also in other spheres of a public life of the Kyrgyz Republic in cases and the order, provided by the present Law and the legislation of the Kyrgyz Republic.

The official language of the Kyrgyz Republic is a language which serves as the language of international dialogue admits and promotes the integration of republic into the world community.

The official language in the Kyrgyz Republic is Russian.

Action of the present Law does not extend to the relations connected with use of a state language, having the special status fixed in the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic “About a state language of the Kyrgyz Republic”.

Once again the law has been amended, (twice), but this article remains as in the original.

So … does that help to clear up the confusion?  Well … Not really.

The implication of the text in the Law on the State Language, (it seems to me),  is that Kyrgyz was meant to be the language of government … although the third paragraph of article 1 raises once again the question of definition ….

On the other hand, the implication of the Official Language, (once again, it seems to me), is that Russian is explicitly given the status of a language to be used in government for the conduct of its business, (albeit along with Kyrgyz and subject to other legislation), and also for international communication.

When it comes to that “other legislation”, there is a reference in the last paragraph of Article 1 to a “Law of the Kyrgyz Republic “About a state language of the Kyrgyz Republic”" … which was, in fact, a reference to a law passed in 1989, (when Kyrgyzstan was a constituent Republic of the USSR), which has now been superceeded and lost force when the 2004 was enacted.  That law stipulated:

Article 1.

According to the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic the Kyrgyz  language is a state language of the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic.

 …

Article 11.

The state language is  the language of work of state governing bodies of the Kyrgyz  Soviet Socialist Republic.  It is applied in office-work, at sessions and working meetings, with maintenance of translation into Russian for the persons who are not fluent in the state language.

Once again, (it seems to me), Kyrgyz is defined as the language of government … but included several provisions which acted as safeguards for non-Kyrgyz speakers … many (all?) of which were included in the later laws and provided the framework in which the 2000 law on the Official Language was drafted.    … but some of which are now under discussion … and under threat in a series of new amendments that would mean all legislation and government business would have to be conducted in Kyrgyz.

As a result the “official” language – Russian – wouldn’t be what is generally understood by the term “official language” … whatever it says in the constitution and other legislation …

Incidentally, one of the problems of working with translations is that some things are not easily translated …  in Russian, for example, there is no word for the articles “a” and “the” and there are a number of places where that could be important … for example, in the 1989 law was it:  ”According to the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic the Kyrgyz  language is a state language of the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic” … or … “According to the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic the Kyrgyz  language is the state language of the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic”

Maybe I am just being a pedant, or perhaps it is a reflection of the fact that I was brought up in the Anglo Saxon school of philosophy (where “definitions” are so important) … but it seems to me that someone needs to sit down and work out exactly what the difference is between the State language and the Official language, (both the intention behind the use of those terms and the way that they have been, and are being, both interpreted and applied).

International Mother Language Day

Today’s postcard is dedicated to the fact that it’s International Mother Language Day.

Yes, it’s another one of those special, United Nations designated days.  It’s been celebrated on 21st February every year since 2000 in order to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism; multilingual education, and to develop fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue.

This year the chosen theme for events around the world is: “Mother tongue instruction and inclusive education”.

UNESCO highlights the importance of a person’s mother tongue as part of their right to education and it encourages its member states to promote instruction and education in the mother tongue.  Hmmmm … it’s going to be interesting to see how Kyrgyzstan is going to commemorate the day given that language is somewhat a controversial and “hot topic” here at the moment.

In a way, that’s understandable.

The country is very much a melting pot of nationalities – and some of them represent quite substantial minorities within the community.

During the periods of the Tsarist Empire and the Soviet Union, Russian was very definitely the predominant language – the lingua franca, the language of government, administration and business.  Kyrgyz was still widely spoken, written and studied … but the language for social advancement was Russian.

So much so, that when Kyrgyzstan declared its Independence there was a move to “Kyrgyzify” or  ”Kyrgyz-ize” all aspects of life … Kyrgyz was declared the official State Language in the republic although Russian was granted the status of an “Official Language”.   Although candidates for certain state posts had to be fluent in Kyrgyz and pass an examination, official documents, reports, etc. could be prepared in either. Some saw in this an attempt to “square the circle” – strengthening and developing the language whilst at the same time offering reassurance to the Russian and other nationalities that lived in the country.

Those exams proved to be somewhat controversial … some candidates for the Presidency, for example, were not allowed to have their names on the ballot paper because the commission examining their fluency of the language judged it to be deficient.  In response, some people have pointed out that there is no definite or standard version of the language – no equivalent of  the “Queen’s English”.  Although the Commission for the State Language attempts to be the official regulatory body in all linguistic matters, it has been argued that it is not an equivalent of the L’Académie française, (also called the French Academy - the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language).

Some Ministers and Deputies have faced criticism because they conduct business in Russian and not Kyrgyz.  There have been calls for the introduction of compulsory examinations for all civil servants.

For the record: According to the UCLA Language Materials Project, the Kyrgyz language is spoken by about 2 million people in the Kyrgyz Republic.

The first reference to the language is recorded in an eighth Century inscription – when the Kyrgyz lived in Northern Central Mongolia. The rise of the Mongol empire caused the Kyrgyz to migrate towards the Tien Shan, (i.e. the present day Kyrgyzstan).  In the face of many different invasions Kyrgyz speakers often migrated to other parts of Central Asia and now Kyrgyz speakers can be found in China (mainly in the Xingjian-Uighur Autonomous region), Western Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and even as far afield as in Afghanistan, Turkey and Pakistan.

For the linguists to whom this means something … Kyrgyz is a member of the Central Turkic group of languages which also includes Kazakh and a number of other less well known, languages.  (There is often some confusion in the West between Kazakh and Kyrgyz languages – as there was between the peoples themselves).  Other Turkic languages include Turkish, Uighur, Uzbek and Tajik.  Some experts think that there is also a relationship between these languages and both Korean and Japanese, but this point is not proven.

Grammatical functions are indicated by adding various suffixes to fixed stems, as in other Turkic languages.  Separate suffixes added to nouns indicate both gender and number (but there is no grammatical gender).  There are six cases – Nominative, Genitive, Dative, Accusative, Locative and Ablative.  Like other Turkic languages, the word order in Kyrgyz tends to be Subject-Object-Verb.  Also the sounds of word stem and suffix must harmonize (i.e. if the stem has a rounded vowel, then suffix must also).

The language can be divided into two distinct dialects – Northern and Southern.  The Southern dialects can further be sub-divided into South-Eastern and South Western variants.  ”Standard” Kyrgyz as defined in the Soviet period is based upon the Northern variations of the language which have borrowed large number of words from Mongolian languages, whilst the Southern dialects have borrowed mainly from Uzbek, but also from Persian and Tajik.  Modern Kyrgyz has also borrowed a large number of words from other languages, especially Russian.

Today, Kyrgyz is written in a modified form of Cyrillic which was introduced in 1940. Other modified alphabets were introduced for other Central Asian languages (such as Kazakh and Uzbek) at about the same time.  Prior to this, until 1923 an Arabic script was used – as it is still for Uighur across the border in China. Following the standardization of the language, in 1924, a modified form of Arabic was used, but this was replaced in 1924 by the Unified Turkic Latin Alphabet (UTLA).

Transliteration into English using the Latin alphabet is sometimes a little confusing.  This is partly due to the fact that in many cases Kyrgyz words have undergone a double transliteration – first of all into Russian and then into English.  This means that names are sometimes recorded in different ways in different places – for example: Жалал Абад may be written as Djalal Abad, Jalal Abad, or (more recently) Jalal Abat. Also, many names in the Soviet period were written with a hyphen – Jalal-Abad, but the tendency is drop the hyphen (Jalal Abad) and sometimes even to join the two words together (Jalalabad).

There was no Kyrgyz language press before the Russian Revolution. By 1983, however, 61 newspapers and 16 journals were published in Kyrgyz. In 1983 there were 513 books published in Kyrgyz in the Kyrgyz SSR. Now there are a wide variety of publications in Kyrgyz as well as Radio and Television programmes and even films in Kyrgyz.

There are often differences between different dialects.  The language used in the southern oblasts, (Osh, Batken and Jalal Abad), are often influenced by Uzbek.  In the Northern regions the title often afforded to older men as a sign of respect is “baike” – whereas in the south it would be aka (or ake).

Although Russian is understood almost everywhere in Kyrgyzstan, and many Russian words have entered the Kyrgyz language.  There are places (especially in the rural regions) where Kyrgyz is the definitive mother tongue and Russian is most definitely a second language.  Kyrgyz is generally considered to be easier to learn than Russian, with a smaller vocabulary and lack of stress in spoken form.

As in English, the Kyrgyz employ many wordless sounds to express meanings:

• … as they listen to somebody else they make sounds like “un hun”, “aah” or “mmm”.
• … to indicate No, they may utter “uh uh” and shake their heads
• … “oy” is used like “oops” in English to indicate a mistake
• … “ahyee” or “oy voy yuy” is used to express surprise or amazement, equivalent to “really” or “wow” in English
• … “erah” is used to show disappointment,
• … “hunh” indicates pain,
• … “oof” suggests that they are tired, and
• … “erf” that something is terrible or disgusting.

My “mother language”, of course is English, and when I am asked why, (after living here for almost 18 years), I still haven’t learnt more than a few basic elements of  Kyrgyz, my answer is simple: “I live in Bishkek, where everyone either speaks Russan or want to practice their English.”  I am quite sure that if I lived in somewhere like Naryn I would now speak Kyrgyz because that’s the language spoken by most people there.

Some time ago, for example, I went to a conference up in Naryn and, at first, all the speeches were in Kyrgyz … but then the chairman pointed out that there visitors present who didn’t understand Kyrgyz and he switched to Russian … for which I, for one, was grateful.

In another conference, when the printed materials were handed out to the participants, someone pointed out that they were all in Russian – well, they had been prepared by people in Bishkek.  Why weren’t they in Kyrgyz?, it was asked – they would have been far more useful for the locals if they had been.

Google Translate and Wikipedia are both examples of the tremendous that new information technologies have brought to the twenty first century … and offer tremendous potential for hel;ping the preservation and development of the language and language skills among the population.

Wikipedia have created a Kyrgyz language version which is growing in size … but still has a long way to go.

At the moment, Google Translate doesn’t offer Kyrgyz as one of the languages that are available but there is a growing pressure group that is lobbying for its inclusion.  I certainly support this – I would find it invaluable.  I don’t suppose that it will approach the efficiency of the Universal Translator in the Star Trek universe, but it will go a long way towards it.

At the moment there is a problem brewing in the world of education that it has been decided that in future the examinations for the school leaving certificate and university entrance will be held in either the State Language or the Official Language – that is in either Kyrgyz or Russian.  Up until now, they have also been administered in other languages – for example Uzbek or Tajik.  It has been suggested that this decision will discriminate against members of these ethnic communities and prevent them for seeking places in Higher Education … yet alone employment as Civil Servants.

To an outsider like me, it certainly seems to run counter to the provision in the Constitution that grants the right to education in the citizen’s mother tongue – yet alone to the high flown aims and objectives of International Mother Language Day.

We’ll have to see how events unfold and how things develop.

I have no idea what it says!

The other day someone posted a photograph on Facebook and I immediately moved my mouse pointer over the “Like” button.  It’s not the first time I had seen this particular picture but it summed up my own feelings and experience so, so well.

Doctors are supposed to have handwriting which is virtually indecipherable … well, Russian cursive script is also, often completely unintelligible.  It was difficult enough trying to learn Russian, which meant learning a totally different alphabet: the Cyrillic alphabet.  Some of the letters are virtually the same as in the Latin alphabet that we use in English, but others have different sounds … and then there are those that are totally different.  It doesn’t help that some letters may have two or more sounds associated with them – we have that in English as well – or that some have two or more different versions.

As it happens, that wasn’t a big problem in itself … at least not when it came to reading printed texts like books and magazines or film credits.  The problems really started when it came to dealing with handwriting – especially when people used a cursive script.

Trying to make head or tail out of some people’s handwriting can be a really frustrating and maddening experience … and although I don’t think it has ever made me feel as if I want to cry, I certainly sympathize with the person who posted it.

In fact, the examples I usually when trying to make the same point are “millimeter” and milliliter” both of which appear as a dozen or so vertical lines.

These days we are used to seeing “printed” texts – even on computer screens where we read our emails and surf the internet.  The fonts may be different but they have similarities and are designed to be easily read.  They lack, however, the “personal touch” that handwriting can convey.

Today, 23rd January, is designated as National Handwriting Day in the United States;  the purpose of which is “to alert the public to the importance of handwriting”.  According to the Writing Instruments Manufacturers’ Association, (WIMA), who sponsor it, “National Handwriting Day is a chance for all of us to re-explore the purity and power of handwriting.”

Incidentally, January 23rd was chosen because it was the birthday of John Hancock … (President of the Second Continental Congress and of the Congress of the Confederation, first Governor of Massachusetts, and the first person to sign the United States Declaration of Independence, who signed it with a large, bold and prominent flourish.  His signature is so prominent, in fact, that it well and truly stands out from all the rest.  There is a story, I don’t know if it is true, after he had signed, a discussion broke out before the next signature could be added.  Hancock eventually spurs everyone into action by declaring that only he can be accused of treason at the moment.

I am not sure that I would go as far as WIMA in asserting that “there is something poetic about grasping a writing instrument and feeling it hit the paper as your thoughts flow through your fingers and pour into words”, but it has to be admitted that handwritten notes and letters are much more personal, however, and carry a much stronger sense of personal commitment and convey a sense of relationship between writer and reader.

Handwriting is also supposed to convey something of the personality of the author … indeed the somewhat controversial field of study and analysis of handwriting called “graphology”, which dates back to the sixteenth or seventeenth century.  It involves the examination of the pattern, form, movement, rhythm, quality, and consistency of the pen strokes in a given sample.

I say “controversial” , (some people go a lot further and call it “pseudo-scientific” … and the British Psychological society considers it to have “zero validity”), because, although many claims are made in support of it as a tool in the study of human psychology, and its apparent usefulness in the diagnosis of some diseases affecting the brain and nervous system, there seems to be conflicting evidence add be little research which backs these up – and, indeed, surveys into its usefulness as a potential tool in recruiting staff for particular types of position have tended to be negative.

WIMA point out that “handwritten documents have sparked love affairs, started wars, established peace, freed slaves, created movements and declared independence” and encourage people to make a point of putting pen or pencil to paper and expressing themselves, at least on this one day of the year.