This article is devoted to the study of the conceptual component of the Adyghe Nart epic. The purpose of this study is to identify and describe the key and basic emotional discourse-forming concepts representing the Adyghe linguoculture, based on the material of the Adyghe Nart epic. The realization of this goal provides for the solution of the following tasks: to analyze the cycles of the Adyghe Nart epic; to identify and describe the basic emotional concepts that form the epic discourse; to determine the key discourse-forming concept. To achieve the goal, the following methods were used: observation, analysis, continuous sampling method, descriptive method. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that the concept of “NART” is considered as the key nuclear concept of the Adyghe epic, which unites the basic supporting elements of the language around itself. It is noted that the proper names of the characters are always accompanied by the epithet “nart”. All actions, events, adventures, trials, exploits unfold around the Nart characters. As a result of the conducted research, we came to the conclusion that the basic discourse-forming concepts are the emotive concepts of “LOVE”, “PASSION”, “FAITH”, “LOYALTY”. The basic emotion “passion” of the Adyghe Nart epic has its own set of controlled and uncontrolled reactions of the subject. Controlled reactions of the subject are reflected in his speech behavior, and uncontrolled reactions are reflected in the non-speech behavior of the subject. Love and passion are correlated concepts for sleds. They form a single whole in all the passages where the love line of the main characters is described. You can notice a single way of word formation and a single root Shiu “good” in the words Shiulegunig ‘love’ and Shioigunig ‘passion’. The basic emotion “passion” of the Adyghe Nart epic has its own set of controlled and uncontrolled reactions of the subject. Controlled reactions of the subject are reflected in his speech behavior, and uncontrolled reactions are reflected in the non-speech behavior of the subject. Love and passion are correlated concepts for sleds. They form a single whole in all the passages where the love line of the main characters is described. You can notice a single way of word formation and a single root Shiu “good” in the words Shiulegunig “love” and Shioigunig “passion”. The present study is based on the scholarly works by L. S. Abrosimova, K. A. Andreeva, Z. H. Bizheva, L. Y. Buyanova, A. S. Goncharova, O. S. Makarova, O. G. Pocheptsov, E. A. Redkozubova, E. K. Spitsyna, A. Sh. Altruova, G. R. Nurekeshova and other scholars. The theoretical and practical value is seen in the possibility of using the results in theoretical disciplines and practical courses in general linguistics, Caucasian languages, theoretical, applied and comparative linguistics, epic studies, as well as in the process of teaching cognitive conceptual analysis of folklore text.

The article aims to analyze the linguistic specificity of interjections in the structure of a folklore text. The material used is the outstanding Yakut heroic epic olonkho Nyurgun Bootur the Swift, created by Platon Oyunsky. This epic was translated into the Bashkir language as part of the project “Publishing mutual translations of epics of the peoples of the world”. The objectives of the study are to identify interjections that are used in olonkho; in an effort to identify the grammatical and semantic features of interjections, the specifics of which are revealed when translating an epic work from Yakut to Bashkir. To solve the assigned problems, the main method used in the work is comparative analysis, as well as the functional-semantic method. With their help, the linguistic nuances of translation from one Turkic language to another are established, and it is found out by what means the original text is most adequately conveyed in translation. The relevance of the study is due to the need to study the linguistic possibilities of achieving adequacy or equivalence of the text when translating folk epic works from related languages, including taking into account the peculiarities of the translation of individual parts of speech. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that for the first time the interjections of the Bashkir and Yakut languages used in folklore texts are analyzed in the aspect of translation. Such a study contributes to a deeper comparative study of the functional-semantic capabilities of an entire thematically organized group of words in related languages, and helps to identify their genre linguistic identity inherent in specific languages. Interjections convey the feelings and emotional experiences of the characters in the work; they are classified into universal, understandable to all languages, common to Turkic languages, or specific (these make up the majority). The classification of interjections as non-equivalent vocabulary determined their transmission during the translation process through transcription, without grammatically changing the words, which ensures the preservation of the originality, national specificity and cultural flavor of the source text. The original, deeply national interjections used in olonkho help to recreate the unique world of olonkho, help to comprehend the deep secrets of the spiritual heritage of the Yakuts, and translation allows other peoples to touch the spiritual treasury of the people. The presented research has prospects for further study of the peculiarities of the functioning of parts of speech in the language of folklore.

This work is a continuation of the study of the oral heritage of the Khoshuts of Kalmykia, which was widely used in past centuries. The relevance of the study is dictated by the preparation for publication of a corpus of Khoshut folklore texts in the book “Historical and cultural heritage of the Khoshuts of Kalmykia” (2023). The purpose of the article is to describe the plot composition of Khoshut non-fairytale prose. The source of the study was the personal field materials of the authors (2006–2021), recorded in the city of Elista and the regions of Kalmykia, as well as archival materials stored in the Scientific Archive of the Kalmyk Institute for Humanitarian Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Archive of the Republic of Kalmykia. For comparison, texts from printed publications were used, as well as expeditionary materials collected by the authors in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China (2012–2019). When writing this article, the authors relied on the descriptive method, the comparative typological method and the comparative analysis. Source analysis of archival and published materials, decoding of records from magnetic tapes (1960–1978), carried out by the authors of the article, made it possible to shed light on unknown and little-known works of non-fairytale prose, recorded by Kalmyk scientists (N. N. Ubushaev (1967; 1970), A. V. Badmaev (1970), A. Sh. Kichikov (1970), L. S. Sangaev (1978), E. B. Ovalov (1982) and others) in the second half of the 20th century from Khoshut storytellers Ochir Badmaev (1896–1992), Nuskha Tyurbeev (1900–1986), Yegor Mukabenov (1903–1980), Chimid Komaev (1903–1992), Boris Boktaev (1927–2014) and Shani Boktaev (1933–2010). Comparison with non-fabulous plots of other nations contributed to the classification and systematization of some plots of myths, legends, tales and oral stories of the Khoshuts of Kalmykia. The similarity of plots with Oirat, Mongolian and Buryat works testifies to a common national folklore fund, and the coincidence of some plots with samples of non-fairytale prose of other peoples can be interpreted as a result of historical contacts, as well as the mental capabilities of human societies that were at the same stage of development. As a result of the analysis of the considered texts, interpretations and differentiating elements of the plots of myths, legends, historical traditions and oral stories of the Khoshuts of Kalmykia, related to their local tradition, are established.

Our purpose is to discover and describe the means of expression of comparative relations in the heroic tale Оchy-Bala, an outstanding Altaian heroic epic. The relevance of our study stems from the fact that the Altaian heroic epics remain relatively understudied, and its novelty lies in the fact that for the first time, we analyze the structural and semantic types of comparative constructions in Оchy-Bala. Our primary methods are descriptive methods and methods of structural modeling.

In our study, we detect and describe comparative constructions denoting equative, similative, comparative, and superlative relations. To express equative and similative relations, essentially the same constructions are used in most cases, which makes their formal distinction difficult. Comparative and superlative constructions are represented by singular examples, unlike the highly common equative and similative constructions.

Both objects and actions can serve as objects and standards of comparison. Parameters of comparison are often not expressed verbally. Standards of comparison in the Altai language are formed by comparison markers; therefore, special attention is paid to markers of comparison standards, which make comparative constructions comparative in the first place. They may be synthetic (expressed as affixes within comparison standards) and analytical (expressed through function words).

We show that in Оchy-Bala, the means of expression of comparative relations are the same as in the modern Altai language; however, their numbers, frequency, and usage are not quite the same. For example, the comparative constructions in Оchy-Bala include three synthetic (=DYi, =DAŋ and =GAndYi) and six analytical markers of comparison: keptü ‘like, as if’, keberlü ‘like, as though’, chylap ‘like, as if, as though’, oshkosh / ushkush ‘like, as if, as though’, polup ‘like’, podoldu ‘as though’. We show that the functioning of the same constructions in folklore text and modern Altai language is different. In modern Altai, comparative constructions with function words chylap ‘like, as if, as though’ and oshkosh / ushkush ‘like, as if, as though’ are highly common; however, they aren’t as frequent in Оchy-Bala. We also list the comparative constructions used regularly for the figurative description of the main characters are highlighted.

The goal of this article is to consider special properties which characterize the usage of partitive case in simple (non-possessive) declension in the language of the Yakut folk heroic epic olonkho. The relevance of this research is supported by the less studied status of partitive case as one of the most infrequent ones compared to other cases in the Yakut language as well as by the lack of theoretical research devoted to the usage of partitive case in the epic texts of olonkho. The following methods were used: descriptive, comparative, structural-semantic as well as the method of continuous sampling. Leipzig glossing rules were used in the article. The collected material contains examples from the following olonkho: “Nurgun the Strong” (“Nyurgun Bege”), “Ker Buuraj bogatyr” (“Kör Buuraj bukhatyyr”), “Tough Warrior woman” (“Kyydaannaakh Kyys Bukhatyyr”), “Ala-Bulkun”, “Kyys Debiliye”, “Olonkhos of Moma” (“Muoma olonkholoro”), “Myuljyu the Strong with unstumbling joints” (“Byudyuryujbet syukһyekhteekh Myulgyu Bege”), “Hero Eles with a bear-black horse” (“Eһe Khara attaakh Eles Bootur”), “Nyurgun Bootur the Swift” (“Julurujar Nyurgun Bootur”), “Lord Jagaryma” (“Tojon Jagaryma”), “Kyun Erili”, “Obstinate Kulun Kullustuur” (“Kuruubaj khaannaakh Kulun Kullustuur”), “Kyun Tegierime”, “Great Daaryn bogatyr” (“Uluu Daaryn bukhatyyr”), “Warrior woman Jyrybyna Jyrylyatta” (“Jyrybyna Jyrylyatta kyys bukhatyyr)”. Partitive case is considered to be one of the lesser used cases, due to the presence of a number of restrictions on its occurrence. If these conditions are met, then the usage of partitive case becomes possible, but not obligatory, since accusative or ablative cases might be used just as well. With the help of the data gathered using the method of continuous sampling from fifteen specimens of olonkho, it is demonstrated that nouns in the simple (non-possessive) form of the partitive case can act as a direct object with a variety of verbal forms. It has been shown that partitive case occurs in both paradigms of the imperative mood in all person-number combinations except third person. It is also employed with various voice and aspectual forms of the verbs, with the imperative particle kulu and with the emphatic-diminutive imperative. The results of the study reveal the hidden potential and the possibilities for more extensive usage of partitive case.

The article is devoted to the study of proverbs and sayings of the Khakas language, which are anthropocentric in nature and include animal names (zoonyms). The aim of the article is to identify and describe the semantics of zoonyms and the peculiarities of their functioning in Khakas paremic expressions. The relevance of the topic is conditioned by the insufficient development of the problems of studying small folklore genres in Khakas linguistics. The novelty of the conducted research consists in the fact that it attempts to study zoonyms as components of proverbs and sayings of the Khakas language. Descriptive, semantic-cognitive and linguostatistical methods, and a review of scientific literature were used in the course of the work. The material of the study was selected by continuous sampling from existing collections of Khakas proverbs and sayings.

The results obtained in the course of the study showed the presence of a large number of paroemia with zoonym components (more than 130 units), which is due to the significance of the animal world, in which the national features and mental peculiarities of the Khakas people have been fixed as a result of centuries of human observation of it. The ethnocultural specificity of the Khakas language is most fully represented by paroemia with the zoolexeme at ‘horse’. The thematic classification of Khakas proverbs and sayings with zoonymic components includes about 12 value-oriented semantic groups, which are united within the framework of universal oppositions (good-bad, good-evil, truth-false, strength-weakness, intelligence-stupidity, etc.), as well as family and social relations. The dominance of the two-component parallel structure of Khakas paroemia has been revealed, containing in one part the main idea in the form of a moral attitude, and in the second part – its argumentation with a zoonym component. The figurative meanings of Khakas animalistic paremiology are represented by associative links of animal morals and habits with human characteristics and traits: horse symbolizes strength, diligence; hare is associated with cowardice; dog – with anger, cruelty; snake – with pretense and meanness; wolf – with greed and calculating mind; bear – with fearlessness; magpie – with idle talk and chatter, etc. The ethnocultural semantics of zoonyms is presented both in metaphorical proverbs and sayings, and in paroemia, representing good wishes, customs and omens of the Khakas people.

Further implications – comparative studies of the topic under consideration with the involvement of materials of Russian and English languages.

The article highlights the problem of visual perception of the epic picture of the world in the text of the olonkho Nurgun Botur the Swift by Platon Oyunsky. The relevance of the study is justified by the insufficient study of the problem of visual perception based on the analysis of epic tales. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that for the first time an attempt was made to interpret the functional and semantic features of verbs with the meaning of visual perception on the material of this epic text. The aim is to identify and describe the linguistic means of objectifying visual perception as a sensory process from the point of view of their functioning in the epic world picture. To achieve the goal, a set of techniques was used: the continuous sampling method for collecting practical material from the text, component and definitional types of semantic analysis, which involve the analysis of words meanings through the allocation of the main components – semes, contextual analysis to study the functional specificity of a language unit depending on the context. The actual material was 115 fragments of contextual use of visual perception verbs, while the verbs of vision are analyzed not only from the position of the main character as an observer, but also other characters. As a result of the study, it was revealed that the representation of visual perception is carried out by 4 verbal units (ker-, oduulaa-, olootoo-, kharakhtaa-), which demonstrate the differential features of the semantics of this class of verbs of vision, of which the verb keris distinguished by frequency – ‘to look, to see’, which accounts for the largest number of examples. Due to the format of the article, an important semantic component remained unexplored – kharakh ‘eye/eyes’, which, according to researchers, are referred to as a tool or instrument of visual perception. There is a certain number of scientific papers devoted to the study of the features of the conceptual interpretation of the concept of “eye/eyes”. We believe that the conducted research will be continued with the involvement of material on this issue.

The article is the first in Yakut linguistics to examine the dialectal lexicon of Yakut folk riddles of Suntarsky district. The necessity of this study is due to the fact that Yakut riddles rarely serve as a material for studying the dialectal lexicon of the Yakut language. Dialectal data can provide information about the preservation of the dialect, as well as clarify the issues of semantics in the field of Yakut dialectology. The scholarly novelty of the study lies in the fact that for the first time the linguistic analysis of riddles collected in Suntarsky district is carried out and the main semantic-motivational features of dialectal units on the material of folklore text are highlighted for the first time. The purpose of the study is to identify the most characteristic phonetic correspondences and lexical features of dialect words in folk riddles of Suntarsky district. The source and material for the study were riddles collected in 1960–1969 by the local historian Ivan Ivanov – Chopchu Uybaan and published in a separate edition in 2014. The texts of 2891 riddles were frontally reviewed for the presence of dialectal features. To achieve the goal, the methods of phonetic, lexical analysis, as well as descriptive method with the application of interpretation of linguistic material were used. Phonetic features characteristic of the Suntar dialect were revealed: assimilation and dissimilation of consonants; phonetic correspondences (long/ short vowels; doubling/short consonants, etc.). We present typical examples of dialectal units from riddles that belong to the lexicon of the Olyokma-Vilyui dialects. In addition to the well-known lexemes of the Suntar dialect (e. g. muruku ‘chipmunk’), one can pay attention to some dialectal meanings (e. g. keghe kulgaagha ‘snowdrop’), which were not previously included in dialectological dictionaries. The main motivational type of the semantics of dialect words – metaphorical or figurative – was established. This type of nomination is characteristic of the text of riddles, which is expressed by figurative words, euphemisms. The riddles emphasize the dominant features of the subject, phenomenon: shape, sounds, process, action, etc. The presentation of the semantic-motivational picture on the example of dialect words in riddles can fill the gaps in the study of the dialect linguistic picture of the world of the Yakut language.

In the 1940s, the Institute of Language and Culture of the Yakut ASSR systematically collected materials on the Vilyui region. Employees of the institute S. I. Bolo and A. A. Savvin recorded the richest folklore material during the expedition. Continuing the work of their outstanding predecessors, in the period 2016–2019, the staff of the Olonkho Research Institute of the M. K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University organized folklore expeditions in Vilyuisky and Verkhnevilyuisky districts. In addition to videotaping the performance of song genres, legends, tales and other genres of Yakut folklore, the expedition participants collected information about the olonkhosuts of the two districts. The purpose of this article is to analyze information about the olonkhosuts of Vilyuisky and Verkhnevilyuisky districts, who have an important position in the Vilyui olonkho storytelling tradition. The material of the study was questionnaire data, manuscript, audio and video materials obtained during the expeditions. The authors briefly characterize the creativity of the olonkhosut of the mentioned districts, consider the peculiarities of storytelling skills and traditions, as well as factors influencing the formation of their creative personality. The biographical method of research is applied: materials of the biography of the olonkhosut, memories of relatives, home folk, acquaintances, various records, interviews, etc.) are studied. Particular attention is paid to the creativity of the olonkhosut of the border heritages of the Vilyuisky and Verkhnevilyuisky districts. The author of the article comes to the conclusion that the distinctive feature of Vilyuisky and Verkhnevilyuisky olonkhosuts is the strong influence of shamanism in the formation of an olonkhosut.