Kazakh, a Turkic language that uses Cyrillic script, is the official state language of Kazakhstan and is also spoken by people in parts of China, Russia, and neighboring Central Asian countries. This unique learner’s dictionary features simple definitions, literal translations, English equivalents, full example sentences, and grammar and usage for over 2,000 Kazakh idioms.
As students progress to the upper-intermediate and advanced levels of language learning, they come in contact with cultural concepts embedded in simple words that they have learned as part of everyday vocabulary. Thus, they expand their vocabulary into idiomatic expressions. Upper-intermediate and advanced learners of Kazakh will find this extensive reference work useful to understand those culturally bound idioms.
Idioms in this reference volume are organized into categories—the human body, food, clothing, color, number, animals, and nature—that best represent the topics on which language learners focus at the beginning and intermediate levels of language study. Five indexes make finding the idiom you want—by idiom, keyword, or expression in both Kazakh and English—easier.
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Dictionary
The Body
Arm and Hand
Ear
Eye
Face
Head
Heart and Lung
Leg and foot
Liver and Kidney
Miscellaneous
Mouth
Neck
Nose
Torso
Clothing
Color
Black
Blue
Brown
Gray
Multicolor
Red
White
Yellow
Food
Humans and Their Kin
Life and Death
Livestock with Beasts and Birds
Beasts and Birds
Camel
Cow
Dog
Horse
Sheep and Goat
Mind and the Intellect
Miscellaneous
Nature
Fire
Mountains and Rocks
The Earth
The Sky and the Stars
The Sun and the Moon
Water
Numbers
One
Two
Three and Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight and Nine
Ten and Twelve
Thirty
Forty
Fifty and Sixty
Ninety, Hundred, and a Thousand
The Power of the Word
Soul and Spirit
Soul
Spirit
Yurt
References and Further Reading
Indexes
Kazakh Idioms
English Idioms
Kazakh Key Words
English Key Words
Kazakh Expressions
Reviews
"This is a valuable reference book and tool that will greatly help intermediate and advanced students learn one of the most interesting yet challenging aspects of Kazakh. The book’s index makes it convenient to search for idioms. Literal translation, along with arrangement by keyword and general topic, make the book interesting for those not studying Kazakh but wanting to gain insights into the Kazakh worldview."—William Fierman, Indiana University
About the Author
Akmaral Mukan is a lead curriculum specialist at CyraCom International, where she develops translation and interpretation training programs. She has taught Kazakh and English at universities in Kazakhstan and the United States. She is the author of the University of Arizona's Critical Languages Series for Intermediate and Advanced Kazakh. She has developed and reviewed Kazakh language testing materials for Avant Assessment and Defense Language Institute, provided Russian and Kazakh translation and interpretation for US government agencies and European organizations, and managed educational outreach programs for the US State Department in Kazakhstan.
