Features of taboo and euphemistic hunting vocabulary in Bashkir, Tuvan and Yakut epic folklore

A comparative study of taboo and euphemistic hunting vocabulary in the epic folklore of the Turkic peoples is relevant due to the insufficient development of the comparative aspect, which limits the identification of both common Turkic archetypes and unique regional features. The scientific novelty lies in conducting the first comprehensive comparative analysis of this vocabulary based on the epic traditions of Bashkirs, Tuvans and Yakuts, which allowed us to establish a correlation between the specifics of economic activity, mythological and religious beliefs and the features of the lexical system. The purpose of the study is to identify the features, common Turkic foundations and ethnic specifics of taboo and euphemistic hunting vocabulary in Bashkir, Tuvan and Yakut epic folklore. To achieve this goal, the tasks of reconstructing the mythological and religious foundation of taboo, identifying semantic models of euphemization, analyzing the functions of vocabulary in ritual practice and determining the degree of systematic tabooing were solved.

The study was conducted using a set of methods: the comparative historical method allowed to identify common Turkic roots and specific features of vocabulary development; a semantic analysis was aimed at identifying patterns of euphemization; a functional analysis considered the role of taboo vocabulary in the folklore text; cultural and historical approach provided interpretation of linguistic facts in the context of traditional culture. The research material is based on the texts of the epic folklore of the three peoples and special scientific works.

The analysis made it possible to establish that the basis of the system of taboos and euphemisms is an archaic animistic and totemic worldview. Universal semantic models of euphemization were revealed: anthropomorphization (“grandfather”, “master”), sacralization (“prince of the forest”) and attributive description (“clubfoot”). Ethnic specifics were determined: the Bashkirs have a developed cult of totemic ancestors, the Tuvinians have ecological and ethical norms; the complex hierarchy of spirits-ichchi and the maximum consistency of vocabulary among the Yakuts (up to 140 euphemisms for the bear). The article analyzes the multifunctional nature of vocabulary, which implements the functions of a verbal talisman, ritual-initiatory, ideological-etiological, ecological-ethical and socializing.

Prospects of research and directions of further work. The results obtained open up prospects for further comparative studies based on other Turkic traditions, as well as for a diachronic study of the evolution of hunting vocabulary. The practical significance of the work lies in the possibility of using the results in the preparation of works on the lexicology of the Turkic languages, in teaching linguistic disciplines and developing courses on intercultural communication and ethnolinguistics.

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