THE LINGUISTIC REPRESENTATION OF TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS IN THE WORKS OF M. AUEZOV AND W, SHAKESPEARE: A COMPARITIVE ANALYSIS

Abstract

This study offers a comparative analysis of ritual language and culturally embedded speech acts in M. Auezov’s The Path of Abai and selected plays by William Shakespeare. While previous research has largely examined ritual lexicon in isolated national contexts, this article integrates a cross-cultural and pragmatic perspective to reveal how tradition is linguistically represented in Kazakh and English literary discourse. The material of the research includes all four volumes of Auezov’s epic novel and five Shakespearean plays (Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night), from which 45 fragments were selected for analysis. The study demonstrates that ritual forms—such as blessing, oath, lament, curse, and wedding formulas—function as performative acts that structure social relations and reinforce moral norms. Auezov’s narrative draws on oral-poetic formulas, ethnographic terminology, and communal speech patterns, whereas Shakespeare relies on liturgical, legal, and rhetorical conventions of the Elizabethan era. Despite cultural differences, both authors portray ritual language as a key mechanism for preserving collective memory, negotiating identity, and articulating ethical values. The findings contribute to contemporary cultural linguistics by illustrating how literary texts encode national worldviews through ritualized discourse.