From 22 to 29 March 2026, research team from Moscow State Linguistic University conducted a linguistic expedition to compile corpora of verbal and non-verbal behaviour at partner universities in Bishkek and Almaty as part of a research project dedicated to studying processes of cultural integration in the CIS countries.
From 22 to 29 March 2026, as part of the Ministry of Education and Science’s state-funded project ‘Diagnosis of processes of cultural integration and disintegration in the CIS countries: analysis of communicative practices’, a linguistic expedition took place, during which staff from Moscow State Linguistic University visited the Kyrgyz National University named after Jusup Balasagyn in Bishkek and the Kazakh National University named after al-Farabi in Almaty. The expedition helped to strengthen partnerships between the universities and foster a unified scientific and educational space based on mutual respect, intercultural dialogue and a commitment to innovation. During the expedition, materials were collected that will form the basis for creating corpora of multimodal behaviour (speech and gestures) of native and non-native speakers of Kyrgyz, Kazakh and Russian. Two international research schools on the study of multimodal behaviour in discourse were also held, which generated considerable interest at the partner universities.
The expedition comprised staff from the Centre for Socio-Cognitive Discourse Studies, the Ch. Aitmatov Centre for Kyrgyz Language and Culture, and the Centre for Kazakh Language and Culture: Maria Kiose, Zhenishkul Khulkhachieva, Arina Bobkova, Anna Leontieva, Anastasia Rzheshevskaya, Olga Prokofieva, Andrey Petrov, Olga Agafonova, Yana Arkhipova.
Visit to Bishkek
From 22 to 25 March, a delegation from Moscow State Linguistic University visited the Kyrgyz National University named after Jusup Balasagyn (KNU). Shirin Kostyuk, Director of the Institute of Journalism and Communication at KNU, warmly welcomed the delegation and actively assisted in organising a multimodal experiment and an international academic school, in which students and lecturers from the Institute of Journalism and Communication took part.
On 25 March, Myrzabek Kamchybek uulu, Vice-Rector for Research at KNU, held a meeting with representatives of MSLU. During the talks, areas of cooperation in the fields of education, science and academic mobility were discussed, as well as plans for the development of joint research projects.
Visit to Almaty
From 25 to 29 March, a delegation from Moscow State Linguistic University continued its work at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, where the second phase of the experiment was conducted. On 28 March, KazNU hosted the official opening of the International Scientific School ‘Contemporary Approaches to Discourse Analysis: Polymodal Studies’, organised jointly with MSLU as part of the long-standing cooperation between the universities.
The administration of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University addressed the participants with a welcoming speech, emphasising the importance of humanitarian and scientific cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia and the role of joint educational and research projects in the development of modern linguistics. Particular attention was paid to the polymodal approach to the study of discourse, which allows language to be viewed as a complex sociocultural phenomenon.
As part of the school, masterclasses were held on polymodal discourse analysis using the ELAN software, and prospects for joint projects in the fields of sociolinguistics and cognitive studies were discussed. The event was attended by lecturers, PhD students and undergraduates from KazNU and MSLU, which helped to strengthen professional ties and identify new avenues for collaboration.