Elvin Allazov - Kazakh for Beginners: A Comprehensive Self-Study Course

Kazakh For Beginners A Comprehensive Self-Study Course Turkic Languages Series with audio records and info at www.turkicum.com Turkic Languages Series: Kazakh for Beginners: A Comprehensive Self-Study Course ISBN: 9781097239535 Copyright 2019 by Elvin Allazov All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author.
Course Outline Introduction How to Use This Book The Kazakh Spelling and Pronounciation

The frequent contrast of Kazakh with English, in order to aid the learner in understanding the linguistic concepts, is involved. Priority is given to the everyday spoken language, and this is reflected in the idiomatic language of the English translations given for all examples. The book is organized into 10 units. Each unit is designed to build upon the knowledge you have gained in the previous one. At the end of each unit you will have a blank page for your notes. Kazakh alphabet section provides review of pronunciation and developments of vowel harmony which is an important factor to know when it comes to adding suffixes.

The units start with an opening dialogue and then notes about the language points or the culture, using several examples to illustrate them. The units also cover useful words and expressions relevant to the topic of the discussion. The exercises that follow are an essential part of each unit and one can complete them using the answer key right after the exercise section. You will arrive at the end with enough Kazakh to feel satisfaction and confidence when you speak. I strongly recommend using the audio containing the pronunciation guide and all the dialogues during first times you go through the units. Start flipping the pages and be fluent in Kazakh in no time.

Have fun! Geography and Climate The Republic of Kazakhstan, by far the largest of the Central Asian republics of the former Soviet Union and 9 th largest country in the world. The country is bordered by the Russian Federation to the north and west, the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to the southwest, Kyrgyzstan to the south and China to the southeast. 90% of the country is made up of steppe, the sand massives of the Kara Kum and the vast desert of Kizilkum, while in the southeast of the country the mountains of the Tian Shan and the Altai from a great natural frontier with thousands of lakes and rivers. The countrys climate vary from one region to another. When the rivers and lakes in the northern regions of Kazakhstan are still icebound, sowing is in full swing and apricots are in blossom in the southern parts of Kazakhstan. The inland situation determines the extreme continental, arid character of its climate.

The most of major cities are located on the banks of major rivers. Among the largest cities of the country are: Astana, Almaty, Karaganda, Shymkent, Taraz, Pavlador and etc. The percentage of urban population is 49,9% (2019, United Nations). The best time to visit Kazakhstan is spring between April and June or autumn in September to October. Flowers come out of the deserts in spring time while autumn is harvest time when you can find abundant fresh fruits in market places. Temperatures during these periods are mild, unlike in winter when it is very cold or summer when it is very hot.

While July is the hottest month, January is the coldest. Population The current population of Kazakhstan is 18,5 million (as of January 2019, United Nations estimates). The most of the country displays a low population density, particularly the interior; population clusters appear in urban agglomerations in the far northern and southern portions of the country. Kazakhstan is also the most urbanized country in Central Asia. Urban population makes more than 60% of the total population. The most populous city of Kazakhstan is Almaty , where currently about 1.5 million inhabitants live.

The ethnic majority of the country is Kazakhs (63.1%); other ethnicities present as well, such as ethnic Russians (23.7%), Uzbek (2.9%), Ukrainian (2.1%), Uighur (1.4%), Tatar (1.3%), German (1.1%) and others (4.4%).
Several minority groups in Kazakhstan, including Germans, Ukrainians, Chechens and Meskhetian Turks were deported to Kazakhstan in the 1930s and 1940s by Stalin as Russian political opponents. After the Soviet Union dissolved, most of Germans emigrated to Germany. Emigration of Russians and Germans resulted indigenous Kazakhs to a majority in the country. Muslim majorities make up 70% of population. Christians and Russian Orthodox minorities make up further 26%, with 4% following other religions. The largest percentage of ethnic Kazakhs that live abroad are the descendants of those who left the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 1930s.

They strived to escape political persecution, repression, forced collectivization and hunger. Almost 200,000 Kazakhs left the Soviet Union during that period, moving mainly to China, Mongolia, India, Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey. Brief History Kazakhstan is believed to have been inhabited as early as the Stone Age, a prehistoric period characterized by the use of stone tools. In early centuries, the steppes were home to a powerful state formed by the Huns. Later, the Huns were replaced by Turkic tribes who founded several large states as kaganats, stretching from the Yellow Sea in the East to the Black Sea in the West. The original nomadic Turkic tribes inhabiting the region had a culture that featured the Central Asian epics, ritual songs, and legends.