Occasional figurative vocabulary in olonkho: the case of the texts by olonkho storytellers from Churapcha

This article examines occasional figurative words in the Yakut language found in olonkho texts belonging to the Churapcha local epic tradition. The study is motivated by the need to investigate the phenomenon of storytelling and the mechanisms of oral improvisation characterized by the phenomenon of occasionality from the perspective of linguistic folklore studies. Accordingly, the study aims to identify and systematize the primary forms of occasional figurative vocabulary and proposes mechanisms for determining the meanings of these occasional units. The study’s novelty lies in the fact that it marks the first time occasional figurative vocabulary in the Yakut language has been analyzed within the context of epic texts. The research employs exhaustive sampling for data collection, as well as descriptive methods (including classification, generalization, and interpretation), structural-semantic analysis, and elements of phonosemantic analysis. The study draws upon texts by olonkho storytellers (olonkhosuts) belonging to the Churapcha local epic tradition: “The Obstinate Kulun Kullustuur” by I.G. Timofeev-Teploukhov; “Tamallaaiy Bergen” by I.D. Okoneshnikov (Munduuska Uola); “Ala Khotogoi” by M.I. Belykh; “Usuk Tuigun” by P.M. Teryutina (Yryaa Ymyychaan); “Ala Khotogoi” by N. M. Dyakonov (Chyolos); “Kyun Tegirime” by K.L. Fedorov (Kyoskyoyo Kyostokyuyun); and “Aiyy Dyosyuel” by S. S. Yakovlev (Erilik Eristiin). The research established that the primary method of forming occasional words is the phonetic variation of an existing sound pattern. Even when the sound composition changes, the semantic link to the original word is preserved, albeit adapted to the rhythmic and alliterative structure of the olonkho text. Another productive method for forming occasional units is echo-reduplication, which generally serves to create a comic effect. The study reveals that the mechanisms for determining the meaning of occasional figurative words rely on three main parameters: formal resemblance to a figurative lexical unit recorded in dictionaries; the context of usage within the epic narrative; and the phonosemantic values of individual sounds.

Funding: The study was conducted within the framework of the NEFU research project “Cultural Universals and Regional-Local Particularities of the Yakut Epic Tradition: Interdisciplinary Research, Digitalization, and Popularization Technology”

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