Lingvo-culturological description of the lexeme «kaskyr» / «wolf» in traditional and modern consciousness

Abstract

This article analyzes the lexeme «kaskyr», and its lexico-phraseological expression in the context of
Kazakh linguistic consciousness. In the linguistic consciousness of the Kazakh people, the wolf serves as
a symbol of masculinity and heroism. Also, this zoonym in the worldview of the Kazakh people associates with courage, ingenuity, loyalty, and care. The Kazakh people’s perception of the lexeme «kaskyr»
as a cultural phenomenon is reflected in legends, tales, ethnolinguistic sources. In the Kazakh people’s
consciousness, background knowledge about the wolf is expanded by other meanings during the development of social relations. The article also conducted an associative experiment, the purpose of which
was to determine background knowledge about the wolf among modern Kazakh youth.