Terminology of traditional food products in Altai and Kyrgyz languages: lexical-semantic analysis

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to compare the vocabulary related to traditional nutrition in the Altai and Kyrgyz languages. It is based on linguistic materials collected by the author among residents of the villages of the Altai Republic: Kaspa, Shyrgaity of the Shebalinsk District; Kyrlyk, Mondur-Sokkon, Kan-Oozy of the Ust-Kansk District; Yabogan, Yelo, Kulady, Bichiktu-Boom, and Kӱpchegen of the Onguday District. Their analysis revealed many lexical and semantic similarities in the Altai and Kyrgyz languages. This is especially noticeable in the names of meat dishes. The coincidences are explained by the identical economic and living conditions of the Altaians and Kyrgyz in the past and present. The formation of the vocabulary of the Altai and Kyrgyz languages took place in a distant era, when their speakers lived in the territory of Altai.

Keywords

• material culture
• food
• meat dish
• dairy products
• drinks
• parallels
• word combinations
• phonetic structures
• semantics