Ethnographic Character of Phraseological Units Related to the Words «Altyn», «Kumis» in Kazakh and Turkish

Abstract

This article analyzes the ethnographic features of phraseological units in the Kazakh and Turkish languages related to the words “altyn” and “kumis”. Language is a universal code system that reflects the feelings and thoughts of society. In this sense, language plays a crucial role in understanding the way society thinks. In recent years, researchers’ interest in studying the cultural dimension of language has been growing. As a result, in modern linguistics, within the framework of cultural studies, the ways in which different cultures perceive and interpret the world through verbal cultural units have begun to be studied more intensively. In Turkish and Kazakh, the concepts of “gold” and “silver” are among the most pronounced cultural signs of folk thought. As in many societies, they provide an understanding of human life and prospects as representative expressions of such concepts as power, dominance, prosperity and wealth in Turkish and Kazakh history. Traces of folk ideas about “gold” can be found in Turkish and Kazakh cultures, especially in stereotypical linguistic units. It is noted that “gold” as a cultural symbol has a number of distinctive meanings and features in linguistic expressions which, in addition to the basic meaning of “a high-value substance”, are endowed with figurative meanings. Therefore, in this study, in order to identify and describe the concepts and interpretations that make up the thinking world of the Turkish and Kazakh peoples about “gold” and “silver”, phraseological units, idioms and proverbs containing the words “gold” and “silver” in Turkish and Kazakh were studied through comparative semiotic and cultural-linguistic methods. The study showed that both languages contain common as well as culturally specific concepts.

Keywords: phraseology, gold, silver, ethnographic stable phrases, national jewelry.