Representation of the Concept of UNDETERMINED QUANTITY in the Texts of the Yakut Olonkho (Using the Example of Comparative Constructions)
https://doi.org/10.25205/1818-7919-2026-25-2-69-79
Abstract
Purpose. This article examines one of the unstudied components of the macroconcept QUANTITY in Yakut linguofolkloristics – “the concept of UNDETERMINED QUANTITY”. The purpose of the study is to identify ways of representing this concept in the texts of the Yakut heroic epic olonkho and establish a nationally specific component reflected in the language of the Yakut ethnic group.
Results. As a result of the study, the concept UNDETERMINED QUANTITY in olonkho texts is represented by everyday realities (hotoghos ‘fisher floats’), celestial bodies (yi ‘moon’, kun ‘sun’), natural phenomena (buor ‘earth dust’), objects of living nature (yam byrdaga ‘mosquitoes’) and natural landscapes (khonuu ‘valley’, myraan ‘mountain’), most of which are in comparative constructions with the case indicators -taagar, -nan, with the lexical indicators kurduk, saga. To enhance the meaning of plurality, the narrator uses techniques such as parallelism (repetition of the same thought in several lines) and hyperbolization (deliberate exaggeration). These techniques are traditional in Yakut storytelling, and give the olonkho poetry and color. The storyteller creates visual and mental images of the described object or subject based on not only personal perception but also the perception and knowledge of the world characteristic of his people, experiences that have formed among him and his people over a long time.
Conclution. Thus, the national identity of the speaker of the Yakut language in the verbalization of the concept UNDETERMINED QUANTITY lies in a set of images based on the life activities, traditions and cultural values of the Yakut people.
Keywords
concepts,
olonkho,
epic,
quantitative concepts,
linguistic picture of the world,
concept representation,
comparative constructions
УДК: 811.51
Supporting agencies: The study was carried out as part of the NEFU research project “Universal codes in the epic tradition: typological and comparative aspects”
About the Authors
L. N. Gerasimova
M. K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Liliya N. Gerasimova
Yakutsk
Scopus Author ID 57223994730
E. E. Zhirkova
M. K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Eugenia E. Zhirkova
Yakutsk
Scopus Author ID 57223122669
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Review
For citations:
Gerasimova L.N., Zhirkova E.E. Representation of the Concept of UNDETERMINED QUANTITY in the Texts of the Yakut Olonkho (Using the Example of Comparative Constructions). Vestnik NSU. Series: History and Philology. 2026;25(2):69-79. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.25205/1818-7919-2026-25-2-69-79
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