Kazakh-Russian Social Media Post: Linguistic Limits
A social media post in Kazakh and Russian is investigated after a complaint. The post says: 'These traders have occupied our market. We must drive them out before winter; otherwise our children will go hungry.' It is accompanied by a photo of a crowded market and a map. The investigator asks a linguistic expert to determine whether the text contains a call for violent action, whether it incites hatred against a named ethnic group, and whether the author 'knew' the statement was false. The post uses the pronoun 'we' and the Kazakh word 'қуу' (to drive away), which can mean expel, dismiss, or chase. A Russian translation was prepared by an investigator whose Russian is fluent but who does not speak Kazakh. The defense says the post is political speech about licensing.
1. Formulate the linguistic questions that are properly within the expert's competence and explain the limits.
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Proper questions concern the text's semantics, pragmatics, genre, and addressivity: what actions are named, who is included in 'we', who is addressed, whether the utterance is a call, threat, prediction, or political demand, and what the image and platform contribute. The expert can analyse whether 'drive them out' denotes physical expulsion, administrative removal, or boycott, and whether the phrase is presented as the author's own position or as reported speech. The expert cannot determine the author's knowledge of falsity, legal guilt, or subjective intent. Those are matters for the court. The expert should also state the materials examined and the limits of interpreting a short post without the surrounding thread. Questions should be answerable from linguistic method, not from moral disapproval. If the investigator asks for a legal label such as 'incitement to hatred', the expert should translate it into analysable linguistic features and avoid adopting the label as a conclusion.
2. How should the expert analyse the phrase 'we must drive them out' in context?
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The analysis should start from the original Kazakh and Russian wording, not a single translation. 'Қуу' can mean to chase away, expel, or dismiss; the object 'them' refers to the traders, and the purpose clause about children going hungry frames the action as protective. The pronoun 'we' may construct an in-group of local residents against an out-group of traders. Whether the phrase is a call to violence depends on linguistic cues: imperative or modal force, specificity of action, presence of a target, and any reference to physical means. 'Before winter' suggests urgency but not necessarily force. The image of a crowded market and the map may reinforce territorial framing. The expert should consider comments and reposts if provided, because meaning can be shaped by uptake. The conclusion should use graded categories such as direct call, indirect call, ambiguous, or political demand, with reasons.
3. What should the expert do about the investigator's translation and the question about the author's knowledge?
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The expert should work from the original text and require a certified translation if the expert does not read both languages. An investigator's fluent Russian does not guarantee accurate rendering of Kazakh polysemy, and a translation prepared for investigative convenience may flatten ambiguity. The expert should compare the original and translation, note discrepancies, and if necessary request a qualified translator's version. As for the author's knowledge, that question lies outside linguistics. The expert can analyse whether the statement is presented as fact or opinion and whether it contains verifiable claims, but cannot determine what the author knew or believed. The report should state this boundary clearly and avoid speculation. This protects the reliability of the linguistic opinion and prevents the expert from becoming a substitute for the court's assessment of intent.