A newsletter devoted to diversity and opportunity in Eastern Europe and Eurasia, published by the Duke-UNC Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies
Volume 2, Number 1 September 1997
From Taraz to Chapel Hill
Taraz, my hometown, is a small city in south Kazakstan, not far from the capital Almaty. The city derives its name from the nearby river Talas and is located along the Silk route where the ancient merchant city of Taraz once stood. Recent archeological excavations on the site of the Old Green Market have uncovered numerous pieces of ancient pottery, jewelry,
and tools, as well as the remains of fired clay brick buildings dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries. Still standing are two remarkable eleventh century mausoleums belonging to Kara-Han and Aisha-Bibi whose story of tragic love is still told by the Kazak people. Their story has been passed down in a Kazak language replete with Turkic poetic imagery.
Kazak became the official state language of Kazakstan
in 1989. Despite numerous obstacles, the language has survived
for centuries - faithfully preserving traces of Turkic and Kazak
national cultures. It is a cultural treasure enshrined in folk
songs, poems, rituals, holidays and national traditions, and today
once again, after decades in which Russian was the language of
the public arena, speaking Kazak is a matter of prestige. Families
are cultivating the language in their homes, and interest in studying
Kazak is gradually increasing among the youth. The Kazak Republic
Society promotes the use of the Kazak language and assists native
speakers in language study. The Society has developed a broad
network of Kazak primary and secondary schools and encourages
the use of Kazak along with Russian at the university level.
Kazak belongs to the Kipchak group of the Turkic
language family. It is closely related in phonetic, lexical and
grammatical structures to the Kirghiz, Karakalpak, and Noghaj
languages. The features peculiar to Kazak and other Turkic languages, are vowel harmony, agglutinating morphology, and head-final constituent order. Though Kazak currently uses the Cyrillic alphabet, it was previously written in Arabic script according to Islamic tradition. Today Kazak is spoken in Kazakstan, Central Asia, Western Siberia, and in China, Mongolia, Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, and Germany. It is sometimes called Kaisak, Kosach, or
Qazaq, and the names Eastern Kirghiz and Western Kirghiz have
been erroneously applied to it.
The relation between language and culture has always
interested Kazak linguists, and ethnolinguistic investigations
began to appear in 1985 on the initiative of the academician Abdu-Ali
T. Kajdarov. Ethnolinguistic research has focused on the various
aspects of material, cultural and spiritual life of the Kazak
people. Now these studies are being used to restore Kazak language
and culture. Current efforts are focused on compiling a Kazak
ethnolinguistic dictionary.
Kazak ethnolinguistics is my own field of research
and the focus of my study here in the States through the Regional
Scholar Exchange Program. Just six years ago, I would not have
dreamed of coming to the United States to do research. However,
scientific trips on USIA Academic Exchange Programs are becoming
more common among Kazak scholars, a sign of the changing times
in my country. The program affiliated with the Center for Slavic,
Eurasian, and Eastern European Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill started
in May 1997 and is now in full swing.
I have found many answers to my research questions
through collaboration with my American colleagues, study at Davis
Library, and participation in the International Colloquium on Critical Approaches to Peircean Sign Theory at Duke University. Much of the material I need is very specific and not available in Kazakstan. I will take back what I have learned here and share it with other Kazak language experts
in Almaty.
This is my first trip to the United States and it has been the most thrilling experience of my life. I have enjoyed using the technical facilities here and have been impressed by the advanced technology and easy access to computer equipment which is still not abundant in my country. I have also appreciated the informal and friendly relationships American professors have with their students and colleagues. I was at first overwhelmed by the diversity of cultures, cuisine, services, and tastes, and the vivacity of American English. My memories of Chapel Hill, and my trips to Washington, DC, and the West Coast, will return with me to Kazakstan as a valuable source of inspiration, energy and creativity. I look forward to future collaboration with American colleagues and students and hope to one day say to them "Welcome to Kazakstan".
Rakhima Imanalieva
Associate Professor, English Language Chair
Zhambyl University, Taraz, Kazakstan
Visiting Scholar on Regional Scholar Exchange Program,1997
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Summer in Bulgaria
Thanks to a generous FLAS fellowship, I had the opportunity to study in Bulgaria this past summer. For six weeks I had private tutorials with an instructor of Bulgarian as a foreign language from the University of Sofia. This arrangement allowed us to design a program tailored to my specific needs. My teacher did not speak English, so I had plenty of opportunity to improve my active and passive language skills. Because I plan to write a dissertation on a topic in Bulgarian linguistics, it is crucial for me to achieve a high level of competence.
Along with these practical lessons, another professor
gave me private instruction in Bulgarian phonology and dialectology.
We listened to, analyzed, and transcribed taped materials representing
several different Bulgarian dialects.
Overall my experience in Bulgaria was very positive.
I plan to look for other funding sources to return next year
and continue in my quest to master the language and to learn more
about Bulgarian culture.
George T. Stackpole
Graduate Student, Slavic Languages and Literatures
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Calendar
Jan. 26 Slavic and East European Job Fair at UNC
27 Slavic and East European Job Fair at Duke
NC Social Studies Teachers' Conference
Mar. 19-21 Southern Slavic Association Conference
Apr. 7 Piedmont Slavic Colloquium at UNC
Chronicle
Steven Rosefielde, UNC Professor of Economics, reports that his new book, Russia's Economic Recovery Potential to the Year 2000, will be published by Ashgate Press and should be available by Spring 1998.
Other Opportunities
Research, Travel, Grants, Programs, etc. (* indicates new item
not previously published)
*Fascell Fellowship Program offers temporary service positions
(1-2yrs.) at U.S. diplomatic missions in Eastern Europe and the
former Soviet Union for the purpose of obtaining first-hand exposure
to the culture - including (as appropriate) independent area or
language study. Fellowships are intended for undergraduates, graduates,
and others who are interested in foreign affairs and who have
acquired country specific expertise. Compensation is $19,801 per
year plus travel, shipment, and living allowances. The application
deadline is February 1, 1998. Address application requests to:
U.S. Department of State, Fascell Fellowship Program, Recruitment
Division (PER/REE)-WWW, PO Box 9317, Rosslyn Station, Arlington,
VA 22219.
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars offers
fellowships in the humanities and social sciences for scholars
at the postdoctoral level. Stipends average $43,000 plus travel
expenses for an academic year-long residence in Washington, DC.
The application deadline is October 1. Contact The Fellowships
Office, The Woodrow Wilson Center, 1000 Jefferson Drive S.W.,
SI MRC 022, Washington, DC 20560; tel. 202-357-2841; fax 202-357-4439;
wcfellow@sivm.si.edu.
*The Calgary Institute for the Humanities invites applications
for visiting postdoctoral fellowships to be held at the Institute
for a twelve-month period, beginning either July 1, 1998
or September 1, 1998. The fellowships provide an opportunity for
scholars who have recently completed doctoral studies to pursue
further their chosen areas of scholarly research. Candidates must
have the doctoral degree conferred later than September 1, 1996.
The stipend is $25,000 Canadian plus a research allowance of $2,600
Canadian. All application materials must be received no later
than November 6, 1997. Application forms are available from the
Director, The Calgary Institute for the Humanities, The University
of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4; tel. (403) 220-7238;
fax (403) 282-7822; CIH@acs.ucalgary.ca
The Bohemia Corps, a legacy organization of the Peace Corps,
will bring qualified teachers of various foreign languages to
the Czech Republic for periods of 1 year to provide instruction
in their specialty. Salary commensurate with experience and hours
spent teaching. For information, contact Ldá Horáková,
TEFL Program Manager, US Peace Corps, Sinkulova 48/329, 140 00
Praha 4, eská Republika, tel. 42-2-433151, fax 42-2-439070,
lhorakova@peacecorps.cz.
ACTR/ACCELS, a private, non-profit, educational and exchange
organization, offers services and programs to students and scholars
of Russia, Eastern Europe and Eurasia, including language/culture
programs, homestays, volunteer service opportunities and visa
and other support for research trips. Financial assistance is
available. Contact Russian-Eurasian Programs, 1776 Massachusetts
Ave, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036; tel. 202-833-7522; fax
202-833-7523; stephens@actr.org; http://www.actr.org.
*ACTR/ACCELS is currently accepting applications for the
position of country director in Kazakstan or Uzbekistan. The country
director is responsible for maintaining organizational relations
in the host country, overseeing internal operations and general
supervision of ACTR/ACCELS program in Uzbekistan or Kazakstan.
Qualifications include fluency in Russian or local language, BA
in field related to region, professional level program management
and supervisory experience. Send a letter and resume and salary
requirements to: Human Resources, 1776 Massachusetts Avenue, Ste.
700, Washington, DC 20036.
The Peter the Great Institute-Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology
of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, offers academic
affiliation to scholars of Russian studies in various humanities
areas. Services include invitation, registration, access to libraries
and archives, assistance with accommodations, and more. Contact
Tatyana Bogomazova, Universitetskaya nab. 3, Institute-Museum
of Anthropology and Ethnology, St. Petersburg 199034 Russia (fax
812-218-0811, tanya@task.spb.su).
Teaching opportunities in a variety of Eastern European
and former Soviet Union countries are available through the Civic
Education Project, in association with Yale University and Central
European University. Contact info@cep.yale.edu or applic@cep.yale.edu,
http://www.cep.yale.edu for information.
More information on any of the above opportunities can also be obtained at the UNC-CH Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies, 223 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, or on our web page: http://www.unc.edu/depts/slavic.
Any contributions and announcements that you would like included in inflections should be sent to the Center in Chapel Hill. The deadline for contributions to the next issue of inflections is November 11, 1997. For more information on any of the above events or opportunities, please feel free to contact the Center on either campus or stop by and browse through our bulletin board postings. We can be reached as follows:
UNC at Chapel Hill Center tel: (919) 962-0901
223 E. Franklin St. CB#5125 fax: (919) 962-2494
UNC Chapel Hill, NC 27599-5125 e-mail: slavic@email.unc.edu
http://www.unc.edu/depts/slavic
Duke University Center tel: (919) 660-3157
302 Languages, Box 90260 fax: (919) 660-3188
Durham, NC 27708-0260
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Duke University and the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill are Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Institutions.
This publication was produced without the use of state funds.
inflections is a quarterly publication of the Joint Duke-UNC
Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European studies. Editor:
Laura A. Janda; Associate Editor: Nicolae Harsanyi; Managing Editor:
Lisamarie Griebel.
Center for Slavic, Eurasian and East European Studies
233 E. Franklin Street
Campus Box #5125
UNC - Chapel Hill, NC 27599-5125