Language Policy Reforms in Kazakhstan: An Overview of the Post-Independence Period

This paper examines the evolution of Kazakhstan’s language policy reforms from 1991 to 2025 through qualitative analysis of legislative acts, state programs, policy concepts, and educational strategies. Using a chronological and thematic approach, the study identifies changes in language status, functional domains, language hierarchies, and multilingual education and interprets these changes in relation to nation-building, sociopolitical transformation, and globalization. The analysis demonstrates that Kazakhstan’s language policy has evolved through three major stages: the institutionalization of Kazakh as the state language and the restoration of its social functions; the expansion of its use in public administration, education, media, and other social domains; and the development of an institutionalized multilingual model incorporating Kazakh, Russian, and English. The main finding is that Kazakhstan’s language policy has shifted from a primarily status-oriented approach focused on strengthening Kazakh toward a functionally differentiated model of multilingualism. Within this model, Kazakh increasingly serves as the language of statehood and national identity, Russian retains a significant role in everyday and professional communication, and English has gained importance in education, science, and international communication. The study contributes to the understanding of post-Soviet language planning by demonstrating how nation-building objectives have been reconciled with the continued functional importance of Russian and the growing role of English in Kazakhstan’s multilingual society.