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The article analyzes the insertion of the Russian causal clause conjunction поTому чTо (‘because’) and the complementizer чTо (‘that’) in Kazakh clauses. The study is based on taped interviews made in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The analysis is based on the main concepts of the Matrix Language Frame (MLF) model. Kazakh, a Turkic language, is claimed to have non-finite and finite subordination patterns but the common way of modelling causal clauses is the left-branching non-finite structure. The study shows that this type of genuine Kazakh causal clause is totally absent in the speech of bilinguals. Because of the strong Russian influence, the right-branching structure with a finite verb becomes common. The study records a syntactic change in spoken Kazakh. Kazakh causal clauses become more similar to the Russian pattern. The complement clauses are not under the same strong Russian influence as causal clauses. Russian complementizer чTо occurs mostly as a part of a preceding Russian main clause. The data also offer examples of composite matrix language, a concept of the MFL model where two languages provide the syntax of a bilingual clause.
