KZBlog

I got a few annoyed emails about my last post, See? Kazakhs Do Have a Sense of Humor.

One emailer pointed out the long tradition of comedy and humor of the Kazakh nation. I can only agree and point them to my post on Kazakh Humour.

Most however were upset with my use of the word Kazakh to refer to the Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko [Note: his name is not Vladimir, this is not a type]. This is a common linguistic confusion. Technically, the word Kazakh refers to people of Kazakh ethnic descent. Kazakhstani or Kazakhstany means people who live in or are from Kazakhstan. For those who think this formulation (-i or -y) sounds strange in English, you can always use a longer phrase, such as “people of Kazakhstan”.

However you will find many exceptions, where Kazakh is used to refer to Kazakhstan. There is the Kazakh-Russian university (where students of all ethnicities are welcome to apply). There are various Kazakh associations of sport, or politics which are open to Russians, Ukrainians, Germans, and so on. In other words, sometimes we get lazy and say Kazakh when we mean Kazakhstani. It is an issue to be aware of, because some people are extremely sensitive about their nationality.