Abstract
This research studies family language policy (FLP) in Kazakhstan, in the city of Shymkent based on parents’ reported language ideologies, practices and management strategies in families with children aged 5-10. The study has been implemented in the frame of the research grant IRN AP26197041. It has been grounded in Spolsky’s FLP framework using a quantitative questionnaire elaborated focused on Qbex.org questions from 296 parents representing different languages schools in Shymkent city. The findings show a linguistically diverse family environment where Kazakh, Russian and Uzbek function as the dominant languages across domains. While parents strongly support trilingualism (Kazakh-Russian-English) as essential for children’s future, everyday communication practices distributed with Russian prevailing in parent-child interaction and digital communication. The language of kindergarten and school instruction are institutional choices are key mechanisms of language management. This study shows that FLP in Shymkent is flexible and pragmatic demonstrating the interaction between country’s language policy and family decision-making. The results add onto the limited research in FLP in Kazakhstan and becomes a foundation for future regional studies.