Turkic Studies Journal (Mar 2025)
The linguistic representation of Abish Kekilbayev’s literary world in the National Corpus of the Kazakh language
Abstract
In the era of globalization, the complexity of language requires analysis through new information technologies. The anthropocentric perspective in Kazakh linguistics considers not only linguistic constants but also the egocentric traits of language users. However, the structuring of linguistic consciousness and the identification of a linguistic personality’s spiritual and value-based significance remain underexplored. Beyond communication, language’s cumulative and ethno-cognitive roles are crucial within the anthropocentric paradigm. The interrelationships of ‘language ~ culture’, ‘language ~ society’, and emerging ‘language ~ computer’ connections reflect modern linguistic trends, supported by empirical research. This aligns with the field of textual linguistics, which has evolved since the 1960s, and discourse studies. The field of applied linguistics in Kazakh studies has advanced, notably with the frequency dictionary based on M. Auezov’s 20-volume collected works (1995), paving the way for corpus linguistics through computational methods. Optimizing fundamental research via a corpus-based approach is essential for uncovering internal linguistic patterns. The Department of General Linguistics and European Languages at the Faculty of Philology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, developed the Almaty Corpus of the Kazakh Language Corpus, which can be regarded as the starting point of this research in Kazakhstani linguistics. In 2012, the A. Baitursynuly Institute of Linguistics launched The National Corpus of the Kazakh Language, an annotated electronic resource covering all functional styles and comprising twelve subcorpora. This paper examines Abish Kekilbayev’s linguistic identity using the writers’ subcorpus of the National Corpus of the Kazakh Language. His works Аңыздың ақыры (The End of the Legend), Бәсеке (Rivalry), and Шыңырау (The Abyss) provide a basis for corpus-based textual analysis. The study examines his authorial phraseological expressions, unique collocations, colour and shade designations, use of ethnolexis and linguocultural elements, as well as linguistic pragmatic expressive means. As an outstanding master of literary expression, A. Kekilbayev possessed a unique ability to unveil the implicit meanings of language, deeply comprehended the origins of Kazakh verbal artistry, and made a significant contribution to its further development.
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