Language Vitality: Ekphrasis in Literary Texts and Its Linguistic Representation

Abstract

The article examines ekphrasis, the art of verbal representation, in literary texts from linguistic and literary perspectives. It argues that ekphrasis is an important means of preserving language vitality and of revealing the cognitive, semiotic, and author-specific idiostylistic features of figurative language. Drawing on examples from the works of A. Kekilbayuly, the study analyzes the linguistic representation of ekphrasis as a means of conveying mental images as well as narrative and symbolic meanings through language. The research applies semantic, cognitive, idiostylistic, stylistic, and contextual analysis in order to identify how ekphrasis contributes to language renewal through semantic transformation processes such as simplification, explication, and amplification. The findings show that ekphrasis functions as an effective tool for representing the cultural and cognitive essence of the national language and for supporting its vitality. The main aim of the article is to reveal the vitality and cognitive potential of the national language by identifying the linguistic and literary features of ekphrasis in literary texts. Theoretically, the study opens new possibilities in Kazakh linguistics for analyzing systems of linguistic images and mental representations in literary discourse. It also substantiates the distinctive features of ekphrasis in comparison with tropes and other figurative devices, as well as its role in semantic transformation. A cognitive and semiotic approach to ekphrasis may serve as a methodological foundation for language teaching, literary studies, and creative writing practice.

Keywords: ekphrasis, simplification, explication, amplification, cognitive-semiotic analysis, idiostyle, mental representation.