The article is devoted to establishing the nature of the evolution of the epic and its relationship to lyrical poetry in the Adyghe (Circassian) folklore. The relevance of the topic is due to the scientific significance of determining the nature of the interaction between the folk epic and lyrical poetry. To date, this issue has not been the subject of a special study based on the folklore of the Adyghe people, which makes this work scientifically significant and innovative. The purpose of the study is to identify the patterns of transformations that occur in heroic songs and tales during the evolution of the genre. The main objectives are to study the actual material in a diachronic perspective, to establish specific changes and their nature as a result of the interaction between the attributes of epic and lyric poetry, and to identify the general trend of development in the light of the history of verbal art. The main method of study is historical and comparative, with the use of structural-semantic analysis and statistical research. The object of analysis is the authentic recordings of samples of the archaic epic about the Nart heroes and the cycles of songs and legends of the historical and heroic epic. The analysis of the texts reveals that the third-person narrative, which is the main principle of storytelling in epic works, can be interspersed with fragments of a meditative, emotional, and evaluative nature, even in the most ancient examples. This suggests that lyrical motifs may have been present in epic poetry from the beginning. When comparing works belonging to the oldest tales with songs and legends of later origin, it is established that as the genre evolves, attention to the inner world of the hero, to the individual perception of reality, and interest in individual characteristics of perception and psychological motivation of actions increase. As a result, songs with a dominant lyrical content appear within the poetics of the heroic epic. Further evolution contributes to the progressive advancement of meditative, love, philosophical, and everyday lyrics to the center of the genre system of folklore. The canons of traditional song existence are transformed, including the form of performance, the structure of the poetic text, vocabulary, and melodies. These observations help to establish the main stages of the evolution of verbal and musical art in the folklore of the Adyghe people, from its origins to the emergence of artistically developed genres, types, and styles.

This article explores the specific of embodiment of the hedgehog image in the oral poetry traditions of several peoples of the North Caucasus. The aim of the study is to identify universal features and ethnically distinct characteristics of its embodiment in oral literature samples from this region, using the Aarne-Thompson- Uther index of subjects (ATU). The research material consists of folklore texts and ethnographic notes on the life and culture of individual North Caucasian ethnic groups, identified using a continuous sampling method. The study also utilized descriptive, typological, systemic, comparative-historical, and contrastive methods of analysis. The study of the identified material revealed, that for many peoples of the region, the hedgehog was a totem animal in the past. However, information about its cult has survived only in fragmentary form (the existence of a ban on killing, its use in rituals as a talisman, references in proverbs, sayings, riddles, etc.). This image is most fully realized in fairy-tales. Although not a popular animal hero in North Caucasian folklore, it was revealed that the hedgehog is associated with a number of universal plots and motifs, similar to those found worldwide. Nevertheless, they have been reinterpreted, reworked, transformed and expanded upon by each people in accordance with their own worldview and mentality, the specificity of which is determined by a complex set of factors, such as ethnogenesis, habitat, historical development and intercultural communication. A comparison of fairy-tale texts with the ATU index revealed that some of the globally available plots and motifs, featuring the hedgehog, are associated with other animal characters in the oral folklore of North Caucasian ethnic groups. Furthermore, these motifs do not fully encompass the symbolic meanings and functions of this image. The results obtained in this work can be applied to further, more in-depth and detailed studies of the hedgehog image in individual ethnic groups to identify common typological and specific features. A description of the motif collection, related to the hedgehog image in the North Caucasus region, according to the ATU, will allow the analyzed texts to be included in scholarly circulation and their place in the global classification of folklore.

The Altai heroic epic “Alyp-Manash” belongs to older periods than its other variants formed in Central Asia. There are enough traces of the ancient worldview of the Altai Turks in the epic. The aim of the article is to reveal the ritual-performative formulas used in the epic “Alyp-Manash”. Ritual-performative formulas appear in various forms. As examples of these formulas, we can cite “greeting”, “farewell”, “going on a journey”, “prayer”, “applause”, “dialogues”, etc. They also make it possible to analyze the behavior of heroes in various psychological situations. Uncovering common ritual formulas used in Turkish epics can also contribute to the discovery of common cultural values.

The article also examines the “master-student” relations in the process of telling epics in the Altai tradition. The article uses a comparative-historical method.

The scientific novelty of the study lies in the examination and systematization of ritual-performative formulas functioning within the text of the epic. Performative features in Turkic epic tradition constitute a fundamental component of the narrative structure and manifest themselves both in the dialogues of the heroes and in the depiction of various ritual practices.

Special attention is given to the reflection of archaic representations, sacred cults, and beliefs characteristic of the traditional worldview of the Altai people. In the epic “Alyp‑Manash”, the hero is conceptualized as an integral part of the natural world. All metaphors, hyperboles and similes employed by the storyteller (kaychi) are directly related to natural phenomena and imagery. A distinctive feature of the Altai epic tradition is the storyteller’s obligatory invocation of nature spirits before beginning the performance of the epic. The praise of nature and the reception of sacred blessing constitute a stable ritual formula in the introductory part of the narrative. The analysis shows that the plot structure and imagery of the “Alyp-Manash” epic possess a high degree of originality and significantly differ from the Central Asian and Anatolian variants of the cycle.

This study may be of scholarly interest to researchers specializing in Turkic epic tradition, ethnography, mythology, and performative practices.

The aim of the study is to identify and describe obsolete vocabulary based on the material of Khakas heroic tales. In the course of the material analysis, functional-semantic, etymological, structural-semantic, comparative-typological research methods were used, which contribute to a more detailed disclosure of the semantic content of lexemes. The relevance of the study is due to the lack of research on this topic with the involvement of folklore materials and the need to develop their lingual-folkloristic paradigm as an independent scientific direction. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that obsolete vocabulary in the language of Khakas heroic tales becomes the subject of a special study for the first time. The work identifies two types of this layer of vocabulary: a) historicisms, which include mainly names of objects and phenomena of bygone eras; b) archaisms – words displaced from modern use by more frequent synonyms in the language. Since language is a dynamic and changeable system, historicisms have the potential to return to modern language under the influence of epochal changes in the development of society. At the same time, their semantics may be somewhat transformed, losing the sign of archaism and negative connotations. The category of archaic words includes not only words – names, but also words of other parts of speech, including function words. Most of the obsolete vocabulary we have considered has parallels in other Turkic and Mongolian languages. In our study, the term ‟obsolete vocabulary” is used formally, since in the language of heroic tales this fragment of vocabulary is frequent and fully reflects the corresponding realities of the epic world. We call this layer of vocabulary ‟obsolete” only in relation to the modern language. The language of heroic tales, as a special mental form of modern language, has been functioning and living since ancient times and can change somewhat depending on extralinguistic factors. The so-called ‟obsolete” vocabulary, as a timeless phenomenon, becomes a keyword and has a conceptual status.

In the future, research in the lingual-folkloristic direction will have to solve such problems as revealing the structural content of obsolete vocabulary in synchrony and diachrony, the specifics of their pragmatics and functioning in the text, etymological interpretations, etc. The analysis of such words should be supported by abundant illustrations of texts confirming their differentiated properties.

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.

The relevance of turning to N. V. Emelyanov’s monographic works on the Yakut olonkho epic (1980, 1983, 1990, 2000) is determined by the need to substantiate the stages of the formation and evolution of his research approach to the epic genre, which determined the purpose and objectives of this article. The article employs the same typological method of analyzing variants and texts of oral tradition that is characteristic of N. V. Emelyanov’s works. At the same time, the historiographical focus of the article is also determined by a diachronic approach and a historical-scientific research method.

The initial objectives of N. V. Emelyanov’s research (1980) were related to the general systematization of the surviving “diversity” of plot variants of the Yakut olonkho (approximately 150 plots). However, already with his second monograph (1983), the research objectives began to expand, focusing on understanding the causes of the emergence of each particular epic narrative variety, divided into three main groups (I, II, III). In his final work (2000) – in the olonkho “about the defenders of the tribe” (III) – the scholar closely approaches a comprehensive formulation of the problem of the “poetic uniformity” of the olonkho (the Nurgun Bootur cycle), leading to a solution to the question of the holistic poetics of the Yakut epic.

The novelty of this article lies in its first specific examination of the stages in the development of N.V. Emelyanov’s scholarly understanding of the olonkho epic. The results of the study demonstrate that, throughout all stages of his study of the Yakut epic, the evolution of his own research approach and his methodology for analyzing epic material (variants) can be clearly traced. This article presents the evolution of the author’s research approaches, based on a shift from fieldwork on the epic in the late 1950s to the formulation of a set of theoretical questions on the principles of epic narrative structure using this material in the 1990s. Ultimately, it must be acknowledged that N.V. Emelyanov’s works not only fit into the general context of typological studies of 20th-century epic poetry but also represent a significant scientific milestone, defining the methodology and prospects of contemporary research on the olonkho epic.

The aim of the work is to create a universal method for comparing various methods and epics with each other. To date, there have been many attempts to universalize such comparative studies, the approaches of which extend from vague and overlapping definitions of the original concepts to the algebraic formulas of Levi-Strauss and Propp. In general, the existing methodology is based on comparative and historical-typological approaches, the development of which continues in the proposed work. The novelty of the proposed methodology is based on the comparative matrix of the study of the main myths and epics, where the horizontal lines are highlighted within the framework of the structural-typological method: “The structure of the Universe”: “The main gods”; “The world of human habitation, housing, objects surrounding a person in his everyday life”; “The main characters”; “Supernatural beings interacting with man and gods”; “Animals, birds, insects, trees”; “Sacred objects, places, structures”; In addition, relying on the systems approach, vertical columns are highlighted: “Initial elements”; “Structures”; “Functions”; “Systems”; “Subsystems”. As the first stage of the study, a general description of the myths and epics selected for consideration is given. The developed methodological approach based on the presented matrices is natural for comparative mythology and can interact with any of its traditional methods, allowing one to see the totality of the studied problems in volume from the most diverse sides, bringing together the questions that arise. Even the study within one cell is accompanied by several contexts of the whole myth and its comparison with other myths in various directions. This panorama of the myth and its characteristic features can unfold in rows, groups, pairs and other formations, the study of which can interact with any traditional methods. The prospect is a comparative study of myths and epics of different continents and mentalities, which is the subject of further research.

The article is devoted to the analysis of the image of the heroic maiden in the heroic epic of the Yakuts (olonkho) from the point of view of its socio-cultural role in a patriarchal society. The authors question the widespread interpretation of this image as a relic of matriarchy, offering an alternative explanation of its functions and meaning within the patriarchal order.

The main purpose of the study is to identify the causes and cultural functions of the image of a female warrior in the Yakut epic. The authors apply the structural and functional method within the framework of M. S. Kagan’s activity approach, considering the epic as a system reflecting the value orientations and social practices of traditional society.

The article analyzes the plots of olonkho, in which the hero maiden occupies a central place. Special attention is paid to the motifs of finding a spouse, fighting with suitors, and marrying a former slave, which is interpreted not because of matriarchal remnants, but as a strategy to preserve property and the status of the paternal family in the absence of male heirs.

The authors rely on the works of leading researchers of the epic (V. Ya. Propp, E. M. Meletinsky, I. V. Pukhov, N. V. Emelyanov), as well as on ethnographic data on the traditional Yakut society. They show that, despite patriarchal norms, Yakut women could inherit property and temporarily assume male roles, which is reflected in the epic.

The key conclusion of the article is that the image of the heroic virgin does not contradict the patriarchal order; on the contrary, it serves to strengthen it. It symbolizes a woman’s temporary acceptance of male functions in critical situations (the threat of extinction of the family due to lack of heirs), after which she returns to the traditional role of wife and mother. Thus, the epic fulfills an ideological function, consolidating the values of the continuation of the paternal family and the inheritance of family property.

The study contributes to understanding the role of female images in the heroic epic and demonstrates how cultural narratives adapt to the social needs of society. The results of the work can be useful for research in the field of folklore studies, cultural studies and gender studies.

Currently, the most developed area of study of Yakut folk songs are hand-sounding, genrethemed, style, terminological patterns and features. There are only separate developments in metrorhythmics, compositional structure and rhythmic cadence in the Yakut Olonkho. From this point of view, the presented study is relevant.

Purpose of the work was to study the specifics of rhythmic cadence in the songs of jieretii yrya from olonkho V. O. Karataev at the compositional level. Accordingly, the following objectives should be achieved: study the methodology of rhythmic cadansing and composition in professional music; consider rhythmic cadences at the level of compositional structure in the jieretii yrya olonkho of the Vilui tradition; to identify the features of the final and interline rhythmic cadence in jieretii yrya of olonkho The Mighty Er Sogotokh by V. O. Karataev.

In their work, in the study of rhythmic cadences, they relied on the methodology of M. G. Kondratiev. In this work, we have used methods of musical analysis, comparative study, structural analysis of texts, abstracting in highlighting common features and a systematic approach. We described the creation of V. O. Karatayev, a bright representative of the Vilyui performing tradition. We also considered the types of cadences of professional music, determined the rhythmic organization of cadences in jieretii yrya of olonkho Mighty Er Sogotokh by V. O. Karataev, interstrophes (by M. G. Kondratiev) and final rhythmic cadences.

The results of the study showed the functional basis of the consistency of the verse text and the chant in the jieretii yrya olonho, which is carried out by the rhythm. It was found that interstrophic rhythmic cadences are more optimally defined as interlinear. Their definition is specified as complete and incomplete interline cadences, which depends on the end of the cadences with or without stability. The final cadence is indicated as complete due to the mandatory end of its structure and always at the end of the song. It is intonationally identical to the inducing sentence of the intonation of the origin of jieretii yrya, which is close to the inducing sentence.

This article continues the research and introduction to academic circulation of Kalmyk folk songs. The purpose of the article is to study the long-drawn-out songs “ut dud” from the repertoire of the storyteller Sanji Mandzhikov (1881–1965), recorded by the orientalist Tseren-Dorji Nominkhanov in 1962 in the village of Bashanta (now the city of Gorodovikovsk), Republic of Kalmykia. The novelty of the work lies in the fact that the author, for the first time, compares the lyrics of Sanji Manjikov’s songs with early archival recordings of Kalmyk songs of the 19th–early 20th centuries and she finds out the origin, preservation of the text, content, compositional structure and genre specifics of the songs of the Don Kalmyks. The material for the study was the manuscript of Ts.-D. Nominkhanov “67 songs and 5 good wishes recorded by S.I. Manzhikov from April 18 to July 18, 1962”, kept at the Kalmyk Institute of Humanitarian Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. As additional materials for comparing the texts, archival recordings of songs were used, deciphered and published by the author of this article in the monograph “Kalmyk folk songs and melodies of the 19th – early 20th centuries: research and materials” (2023) and the collection “Kalmyk folk songs and melodies of the 19th century” (2015), as well as the texts of Kalmyk songs, recorded on the Don in 1902 by A.M. Listopadov and in 1927 by Ts.-D. Nominkhanov. The article uses methods of comprehensive research, including comparative historical, descriptive, linguistic analysis, as well as synoptic analysis of texts, which allows us to identify common and local features of Sanji Manjikov’s songs. Results. The study found that many of Sanji Manjikov’s songs recorded in 1962 are “fragments” of songs recorded in the Kalmyk steppe in the past centuries. A comparative analysis of the songs allowed for a deeper understanding of the origin, preservation, content, compositional structure and genre specifics of the artist’s songs. The results obtained will add to the knowledge of Kalmyk song folklore.

This article is to research of the onomasticon of the Kazakh heroic epic “Kobylandy Batyr”, translated into the Sakha (Yakut) language by A. N. Zhirkov, T. S. Kirillin, G. G. Torotoev and published in 2025 as part of the international book series “Epic Monuments of the Peoples of the World”.

The author of the article analyzes and arranges the core of onomastic units of this epic from the point of view of translation transformation and etymologization. The main research methods are the comparative method, the method of lexico-semantic analysis, the descriptive method, and statistical analysis. Comparatively, 71 onomastic units were analyzed, as a result, 6 groups of proper names were identified: 38 anthroponyms, 11 toponyms (6 oronyms, 5 astyonyms), 11 hydronyms (8 limnonyms, 3 potamonyms), 7 ethnonyms, 2 hagionyms, 2 zoonyms. Per semasiology, all onomastic units introduced into epic circulation represent a national and cultural value, and in one way or another contribute to the interpretation of the cultural code of the people.

Kirillin, Zhirkov and Torotoev all use different translation methods in their translations, such as equivalent substitution, transcription, descriptive translation, addition, omission, out-of-text commentary, etc. The author of this article raises the problem of adequate translation of proper names from Kazakh to Yakut. The translation of onomastic units is a complex process, since they belong to the number of realities. Relative to the onomastic units used as comparison material, transcription is the dominant translation method (Kirillin – 63.5%, Zhirkov – 80.3%, Torotoev – 71.8%); the second position is occupied by equivalent substitution (Kirillin – 5.6%, Zhirkov – 12.6%, Torotoev – 28.2%). This proves the initiative of translators to follow the law of the Sakha language’s synharmonicity and actualize the lexical potential of the Sakha language, while preserving the centuries-old customary norms of alliterative versification.

This article is relevant because it provides an optimal solution to the problem of difficult translation situations, where epic translators face difficulties in transferring onomastics from the original language to the translation language.

The article examines the archaic elements of the traditional wedding of the Kalmyks of Russia and the Oirats living in China and Mongolia, which are associated with folklore and mythological representations of the hedgehog, where the hedgehog is the founder of marriage. The study of folklore among peoples with rich histories and unique traditions contributes to the preservation of their cultural heritage. In the context of globalization and the dominance of mass culture, the study of oral traditions becomes particularly relevant for understanding and preserving ethnic identity. The study of folklore in the context of modern realities allows us to identify how traditional genres adapt to new conditions. This is the first time this issue has been studied from this perspective, which makes this research novel. The purpose of this research was to study the mythological and ritual aspects of traditional weddings that are associated with the image of the hedgehog. The study is based on available folklore and field samples of the Kalmyks of Russia and the Oirats of Western Mongolia and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, recorded both in the late 19th century and in the present day. To identify typological parallels, individual information from the peoples of Southern Siberia and the Manchus was also used. Using structural-semantic and comparative-typological methods, the author analyzes and reconstructs mythological representations with centuries-old layers that preserve the cultural codes of the people. Results. It was established that the image of the hedgehog in the oral tradition of the Kalmyks is associated with family and clan customs and wedding rituals, and that the mythological and ritual complex associated with the hedgehog reflects the once-united beliefs of the Kalmyks of Russia, the Oirats of Western Mongolia, and the Xinjiang Uyghurs of China. It was that the modern wedding rituals of the Kalmyks include a mandatory element: colored ribbon pendants (ölgts), which symbolized the requested soul of a child, which the bride brings with her to the groom’s house. However, the mythological and ritual significance of this vestige, as described in the legend of the hedgehog and in the comments of the collector I. I. Popov, has been lost. The girding of a new yurt for a young family with a black-and-white hair belt (khoshlң) is an integral part of the wedding rite of the Oirats of Western Mongolia and China. Conclusions. The study revealed common mythological and ritual representations of the hedgehog as a cultural hero with the gift of anticipation and a mixanthropic figure; it also identified the common roots of the archaic element of the wedding rituals of the Kalmyks and Oirats, such as the colorful ribbons called “ölgs” and the black and white belt of the yurt (khoshlң), and traced their transformation in the new realities.

The relevance of the research is dictated by the general state of development of modern linguistics with its desire to study the phraseological picture of the world within the framework of an anthropocentric approach. We see the novelty of the work in the fact that phraseological units (PU) and stable combinations (SC) in the context of their functioning as artistic and pictorial means of language in the epic text of Olonkho have not yet been subjected to systematic ideographic analysis. This opens up new perspectives for compiling a phraseological and ideographic dictionary of the Yakut language; it will create a corpus of epic texts that will become an important source for further linguistic and cultural research. The article aims to identify and describe the PU and SC of the olonkho text “Nurgun Botur the Swift” by Konstantin Orosin. The following tasks were solved in the work: to select PU and SC from the epic work and structure them according to the ideographic principle, arrange the units according to semantic grounds; to qualify the material as a source for further linguistic and cultural analysis.

The material from the Olonkho epic was extracted by continuous sampling and phraseological identification; explication of the selected units was carried out with the construction of an ideographic scheme according to the anthropocentric type inductively, from linguistic material to semantic groups covered by phraseology.

The analysis of the PU and SC of the epic work in one way or another will make it possible to recreate the folklore and linguistic picture of the world of the narrator, in his person: a native speaker of the Sakha language of that time, to identify the most important areas of objective reality from his point of view, which reflect his worldview.

Our ideographic classification of the folklore phraseology of the olonkho text “Nurgun Botur the Swift” by Orosin demonstrates that the analyzed units in the epic are characterized by pronounced anthropocentricity and represent objects of the surrounding world inhabited by the characters of olonkho, time periods of events occurring in the epic, actions and deeds of epic heroes associated with the description of military battles, their appearance., character traits, emotional state of the characters of olonkho; the relationship between them, their perception of the environment and their worldview, superstitious beliefs.

We hope that the empirical material will be useful for the corpus analysis of epic texts, the compilation of a phraseological ideographic dictionary of the Yakut language, as well as for linguistic and cultural studies.

This article attempts to comparatively analyze gender stereotypes in the Japanese and Russian languages, where gender roles, masculinity, and femininity are viewed as cultural concepts rather than biologically determined factors. For the first time, special attention is paid to identifying universal and specific characteristics of gender stereotypes in the compared languages using folk song lyrics as an example; the specifics of the linguistic representation of gender ideas in each analyzed linguoculture are revealed. The aim of the study was to identify the specifics of the linguistic representation of gender stereotypes in the lyrics of Japanese and Russian folk songs. The study revealed female and male images that convey stereotypical ideas about their roles in society. Much of the material studied is represented by universal ideas about women and men, which convey gender stereotyping, where women embody external beauty and internal gentleness and kindness, while men embody strength, confidence, and a dominant role. At the same time, the analyzed folklore material preserves the national specificity of Japanese and Slavic cultures, reflecting the Japanese and Russian linguistic worldviews, which is expressed through the lexical and semantic uniqueness of the language systems. Japanese linguoculture is characterized by the avoidance of direct characterizations of female appearance through the epithets “beautiful” and “sweet”; descriptions of women’s eyes and legs, and mention of age are practically absent. The male image in the lyrics of Japanese enka songs is expressed through the epithets tsuyoi (strong), warui (bad), and zurui (cunning, unfair). Voice, smell, and gait are mentioned as body parts that form a masculine image. In the lyrics of Russian folk songs, the use of lexemes indicating a woman’s age is quite common: devchina, devka, deva, molodushka, sudarushka, matushka, starushka, which also emphasizes her social status. At the same time, the age of a man does not have a strict differentiation, but can be conveyed through the social status of “young man”, “husband”, “father”, more indicative of the male image is the marital status: single/married.

This study examines dialectal features of the Indigir dialect within the northeastern group of Yakut language dialects. Dialectal materials serve as unique repositories of linguistic history, migration patterns, and language contact, thereby necessitating thorough documentation and analysis. The texts of Olonkho, traditional heroic epic narratives from various Yakut storyteller schools, represent a valuable but underexplored source of such dialectal data. This research focuses on the Olonkho text “The Flying Mulgun” (Kёtёr Mulgun) by the renowned Moma storyteller D.M. Sleptsov. Employing a comparative method, the study analyses phonetic, grammatical, and lexical distinctions of the Indigir dialect.

Phonetically, the dialect is characterized by akanye (vowel reduction), alternations between diphthongs and long vowels in final syllables of disyllabic and trisyllabic nominal and verbal stems, and consonantal alternations including b-m; g-k; g-ŋ; ҕ-h; dь-nь; r-l; h-s; t-d; t-k; s, t-ch. Features such as regressive assimilation-induced gemination, palatalization, and initial consonant elision were also observed.

Grammatically, archaic forms with double plural suffixes are prominent, as well as the use of suffixes -chcha and -chaan. Compound words formed through contraction appear frequently. Verb forms exhibit contracted structures in the former-past and past resultative tenses, contracted functional auxiliary verbs biër- and këbis-, and omission of infixes -ylyn-, -yn-, and -un- within verb stems. Notably, the dialect employs a second conditional mood form, constructed with a participial suffix -tah, to express the past indicative.

A lexical analysis yielded five categories of dialectisms: words absent in standard Yakut with the given meanings; loanwords from Russian; borrowings from northern indigenous languages; archaic forms; and semantic dialectisms.

This study demonstrates the potential of Olonkho texts from diverse storyteller traditions as valuable resources for the preservation and analysis of Yakut dialects.

The article presents a comparative analysis of the semantics and functions of horse coat colors in Turkic epic traditions, based on the Yakut olonkho “Dyray, Son of a Horse” and the Tatar epic “Idegey”. The research employed a comprehensive methodology combining structural-semiotic, mythopoetic, and comparativetypological approaches. The author systematized coat color terminology according to A. S. Krasnikov’s classification, revealing significant quantitative and qualitative differences between traditions: the elaborate system of Yakut olonkho (14 basic colors, 2 sub-colors, 9 markings) and the reduced system of the Tatar epic (8 basic colors with no sub-colors and minimal markings). A functional analysis demonstrated that the Yakut tradition features a multifunctional model dominated by the comparative function (color as the basis for extended epic similes), while the Tatar tradition exhibits a bifunctional model emphasizing identificational and socialstatus functions. A semantic analysis revealed different codes: in olonkho, the cosmological code dominates, with colors clearly linked to the tripartite structure of the universe (Upper – Middle – Lower worlds); in “Idegey”, the social code prevails, marking estate hierarchy and supplemented by Islamic ethical connotations. A comparativetypological study identified the common Turkic core of color symbolism (white/black opposition, positive marking of white, ambivalence of black, distinctiveness of piebald colors) and traces its transformation in local traditions. The Yakut tradition preserves the archaic mythological type with cosmological semantics and detailed color characteristics; the Tatar tradition demonstrates a transformed historical-heroic type with social marking and categorical color perception. The research contributes to understanding the mechanisms of epic tradition functioning, reveals the dialectics of universal and local elements in Turkic epic, and outlines prospects for further comparative study of color symbolism in folklore texts.

The article analyses the specific forms of figurative verbs in order to identify and describe these forms in the texts of the olonkho and to determine the peculiarities of their use by olonkhohut-narrators. The relevance of the research lies in the insufficient study of the use of figurative vocabulary in epic texts. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that for the first time the functionality of specific forms of figurative verbs is considered as an object of research. The material for the study was the texts of the central epic tradition of Yakutia. In this work we used the method of solid sampling to collect figurative verbs from epic texts; component analysis based on dictionary definitions to reveal the semantics of words; the method of contextual analysis to reveal different meanings and shades of meanings of the studied verbs in context depending on their functions. We analyzed 212 figurative verbs, some of which are repeated in the olonkho texts. Among the specific forms of figurative verbs, the using of the base form, the form of instantaneousness and uniqueness, the form of mobility, the form of separate multiplicity, and the form of uniform multiplicity were found. As it turned out, in these species forms figurative verbs are involved, in general, in the description of the appearance of the main characters and minor characters and their movements, in the description of housing, everyday objects, natural phenomena and animals. The peculiarity of the use of species forms, according to the results of our analysis, is that depending on the situation, the specifics of the characters, the narrated action and the development of the plot of the olonkho, the narrator can combine species forms. For example, the form of mobility is used in active actions; the form of instantaneousness and onetimeness – in fragments where the characters act immediately; the form of separate multiplicity – in describing the movements of the characters, oriented on gait; and the form of uniform multiplicity – in defining the movements of the characters according to their complexion. Therefore, in our opinion, the olonkhohut’s special ability to combine the species forms of figurative verbs in the telling of the olonkho represents their artistic mastery.