In recent discussions of language and national identity in Kazakhstan, the first edition of the Oxford Qazaq Dictionary looms large. Published by the Kazakh Language Society in cooperation with Freedom Holding Corp., the 1300-page Kazakh-English and English-Kazakh dictionary is the most up-to-date registry of the lexicon and fills a great gap in direct Kazakh-English learning resources.
Last week, a distinguished panel involved in this project and other important recent transitions discussed the significance of this dictionary to culture and identity in this key Central Asian country. The discussion was moderated by CERES Director, Michael David-Fox.
Panelists included:
Member of the Board of Directors at Freedom Holding Corp., Kairat Kelimbetov
Associate Professor of History at the University of Maryland, Sarah Cameron
President of the International Kazakh Language Society, Rauan Kenzhekhan
This event was sponsored by the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies (CERES) at Georgetown University and the International Kazakh Language Society.
