This paper examines the ways in which Sakha identity is (re)constructed and re(negotiated) in the diaspora through shifting trends in orthography. The study of orthography is particularly useful for understanding the point at which language as a ‘formal object’ and language as a ‘social and cultural phenomenon’ intersect (Sebba, 2017). The Sakha diaspora in Kazakhstan is a valuable example of this intersection. Based on six months of fieldwork in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the study explores what transitioning from a Cyrillic to a Latin-based alphabet indexes for Sakha individuals in the diaspora. The study traces the changes in Sakha orthography from the Russian imperial period to present, focusing particularly on the creation of a Latin-based alphabet by Sakha linguist Semyon Novgorodov in the 1920s and on Novgorodov’s legacy in the current moment. The paper demonstrates three main reasons put forth by proponents in the diaspora for transition to a Latin-based alphabet: to make Sakha more accessible to potential learners already familiar with the Latin alphabet; to represent Sakha sounds accurately in a way that Cyrillic cannot; and, to distance Sakha language and culture from Russian cultural hegemony. Though efforts to popularise the Latin-based alphabet have been catalysed by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the implementation of the alphabet has been impeded by a number of practical issues. Nonetheless, the activity of developing the Latin-based alphabet in the diaspora has provided space for rethinking the place of the Sakha language in contemporary society. I will argue that although, in part, the popularisation of a Latin-based alphabet for Sakha is related to greater decolonial action, a reduction to this narrative alone is not only inaccurate but also distorts the nuance of heterogeneity of attitudes in the diaspora.
