The History of the Formation and Scientific Standardization of Kazakh Punctuation

The article examines the history of the formation and scientific standardization of Kazakh punctuation. The relevance of the study is determined by the fact that, in modern written communication, punctuation marks are understood not only as part of orthographic rules, but also as important linguistic tools that clarify textual meaning, structure thought, and guide the reader’s perception. The aim of the article is to identify the historical development of the system of punctuation marks in Kazakh, the continuity between earlier and modern names of punctuation marks, and the specific features of the scientific consolidation of punctuation norms. In line with this aim, the article describes the place of punctuation in general linguistics and analyzes the stages of development of punctuation marks in Kazakh, the system of names proposed by A. Baitursynuly, and the standardization of modern terms. The theoretical basis of the study consists of scholarly works on the language of written monuments, Kazakh writing, orthography, punctuation, and orthology. The empirical basis includes earlier names of the main punctuation marks in Kazakh and their modern terminological equivalents. The study employs the historical-comparative and descriptive methods, methods of systematization, as well as terminological and linguistic analysis. The results show that Kazakh punctuation is not a ready-made set of borrowed rules, but a system formed through national written practice and scientific standardization. The scientific significance of the article lies in revealing the historical, functional, and cognitive nature of punctuation mark names. Its practical value is related to the possible use of the results in teaching Kazakh written language, text editing, improving digital literacy, and developing Kazakh-language artificial intelligence models.

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