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@Linguist_CIOL AUGUST/SEPTEMBER The Linguist 23 the Soviet period than their nomadic compatriots, as the latter were mistrusted by Moscow until properly trained in Soviet ideology. A large number of Russians posted to Central Asia by the Soviet authorities returned home after the fall of the Soviet Union, leaving behind a greater proportion of native speakers of the indigenous languages. The Soviets brought with them the Cyrillic alphabet. In the 19th century, educated Central Asians had widely used the Arabic alphabet, which was replaced by the Latin alphabet in the early 20th century. In 1940, just as the Central Asian republics were becoming embroiled in World War II, the Cyrillic alphabet was introduced, confusing those conscripted to the Red Army. Despite the Soviet drive to increase literacy, young Kyrgyz and Kazakh soldiers with barely any schooling found it difficult at first to understand military orders. After the war, however, many returned home with sufficient Russian to work in senior positions within the Communist Party or on collective farms. Plans are afoot for the Kazakh and Uzbek languages to revert to the Latin alphabet in an attempt to shake off Russian dominance. In Kyrgyzstan, Russian is an official language along with Kyrgyz. The situation in Kazakhstan is less clear-cut, but Russian is increasingly recognised in official situations, as pragmatic legislation reflects the fact that there remains a majority of Russian speakers in the urban parts of the north and east. Kazakhstan is in the process of implementing a trilingual initiative, whereby all children receive parts of their education in Kazakh, Russian and English. This project encourages local history to be taught in Kazakh, world history in Russian and science and mathematics in English. Kazakh has insufficient words to express the precise vocabulary used in medicine, science and technology, where a knowledge of English is viewed as essential. The ambition is laudable, but the retraining of specialist teachers is proceeding slowly. 2 Power and influence These countries are dependent on Russian economic and military investment. Due to their position at the crossroads of Asia, once a strategic posting stage on the Silk Road from China to the West, influence in the region is highly contested. China is implementing its politically charged Belt and Road Initiative, with new highways being built across Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan at huge cost to the host states. The US and Turkey have built universities, British boarding schools operate in oil-rich Kazakhstan, and Saudi Arabia continues its massive programme of mosque building across these Islamic republics. It would be difficult for a foreigner to access these communities without help. I worked with a wide network of contacts through the NGO Erayim, which promotes self-help groups and cooperatives aiming to increase the status and economic independence of women in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. 3 Erayim directors introduced me to Chinara Seidimatova, director of the Issyk-Kul regional archives, which house a treasure trove of local information. In Moscow it takes days of bureaucracy to access material, but Chinara provided me with a desk and a small team to locate dusty documents and newspapers. These friendly ladies also fortified me with sweets, apples and the occasional meal. Poverty and unemployment are pervasive in Kyrgyzstan, as it transitions from the nomadic and then communist way of life towards capitalism. Young people move to Moscow, Istanbul or Novosibirsk, where income is more secure, leaving their families to cope with the physical demands of animal husbandry. Kyrgyzstan may be the only truly democratic nation in Central Asia, but it is bounded by Uzbekistan, where corruption and human rights violations are rife and ethnic tensions dominate cross-border communities. These new states are a cultural and linguistic melting pot. Leaders struggle to maintain a balance between the desire to forge a new national identity and the necessity for economic investment from powerful players with a predatory interest in their key geographical position and natural resources. With foreign military bases and rocket launching sites, rare minerals and oil, these ancient lands possess strategic significance. For many of my interlocutors, however, the old traditions and courtesies reign. As my time with a village elder ended, he finally expressed his pent-up curiosity about this inquisitive westerner trying to build a bridge between cultures: "Are those all your own teeth?" Notes 1 Davis, V (2017) Myth Making in the Soviet Union and Modern Russia. London and New York: IB Tauris 2 See Moldagazinova, Z (2019) 'Trilingual Education in Kazakhstan: What to expect', Central Asia Program Paper 218; and Lillis, J (2019) Dark Shadows: Inside the secret world of Kazakhstan. London and New York: IB Tauris 3 www.erayim.org/en KYRGYZSTAN SCENES (Above l-r) Veteran Kalyk Shykyev and his wife in the mountain town of Chaek; transport in Tamga; and the main Soviet war memorial in Almaty FEATURES © SHUTTERSTOCK © SHUTTERSTOCK