The ability to formulate questions is one of the key skills of the 21st century. Sometimes, a well-posed question is more important than the answer itself: it sets the direction for inquiry, fosters critical thinking, and becomes a starting point for scientific analysis.

To cultivate this essential skill, the “Discovering Answers Through Questions: The Student Language Forum” was held within the English Linguistics program. The event skillfully combined the formats of an academic conference and an intellectual game. All presentations and discussions were conducted in English.

The forum brought together first- to third-year students. At the beginning of the event, the students were addressed with a welcoming speech by the Vice President of the IUCA Ivan Ninenko, who emphasized the importance of the ability to ask questions in the era of artificial intelligence.

Eight student presentations were delivered on various topics in linguistics and the methodology of teaching foreign languages. After each presentation, the audience — divided into three teams — asked questions to the presenters. The speakers then awarded points for each question, and the total scores determined the winning team.

Additionally, through a general vote, the best presentations were selected:

🥇1st place – Shahida Metueva, Nazima Asangaliyeva, and Farida Sankhurova for their talk “Code-switching and Why We Mix Languages” 

🥈 2nd place – Zukhra Adanova, Ayana Kaparova, and Ademi Maratova for their presentation on famous polyglots and their language learning methods 

🥉 3rd place – Nursultan Ismailkhanov and Anna Morozova for their talk on digital lexicography and its prospects in the 21st century and Zhumakadyrova Ayana and Maslyanova Karina with the topic of vocabulary development.

The forum was skillfully moderated by fourth-year students Veronika Galaeva and Tatyana Alexander, who ensured a smooth flow of the event and created an atmosphere of academic enthusiasm.

The English Linguistics program sincerely thanks all participants.

Events like this foster the development of academic skills, critical thinking, and research competence — because every well-asked question is not just a comment from the audience, but a small step into the world of science.