Variations comparative-historical analysis of the lexeme Chechen (sesen, tsetse, shesen) in Turkic and Mongolian languages

The article examines the variability and provides a comparative-historical analysis of the lexeme chechen (sesen, tsetsen, sheshen), attested in many Turkic and Mongolic languages of the peoples of Eurasia. The relevance of the study lies in the need for an in-depth investigation of linguistic and cultural convergence processes in the Turkic-Mongolic area, as well as in the insufficient development of comparative-historical and linguocultural analysis of this lexeme in contemporary scholarship. The aim of the study is to identify the historical, everyday, sacral, and linguocultural features of this lexeme through a comparison of its phonetic forms and semantic meanings in Altaic languages.

The novelty of the research lies in the comprehensive analysis of the lexeme chechen based on extensive material from Turkic and Mongolic languages, including lexicographic, folklore, and ethnographic sources, as well as in revealing the relationship between its phonetic variants and its sacral-semantic meanings within the cultural traditions of the peoples of Eurasia.

The methodological framework of the study is based on comparative-historical, typological, and linguocultural methods, as well as elements of etymological and semantic analysis. The material includes lexicographic sources, folklore texts, and ethnographic data of Turkic-Mongolic peoples (Altaians, Tuvans, Teleuts, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Bashkirs, Uyghurs, Sakha (Yakuts), Mongols, and Buryats).

The results of the study demonstrate that the lexeme chechen and its phonetic variants share a common semantic core associated with the concept of a special individual endowed with sacral qualities and performing the function of a spiritual mediator. Regular patterns of phonetic variation and semantic differentiation of the term have been identified depending on historical and ethnographic conditions, economic activities, and worldview systems of different peoples.

It is concluded that the lexeme chechen originally had a generalized meaning of “a bearer of a special gift connected with higher powers,” which, in the course of historical development, acquired various functional and cultural nuances. The results obtained contribute to a more precise understanding of cultural contacts, migration processes, and mechanisms of spiritual convergence in the Turkic-Mongolic world.

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