Multivector Analysis of Karachay-Balkar Omen-Statements
DOI: 10.23951/2307-6119-2025-4-9-18
Omens play significant functional and semantic roles in Karachay-Balkarian linguistics and ethnoculture, appearing as formulaic utterances with various syntactic structures, constructed according to different patterns of simple and complex sentence constructions. Simple omen-statements, which allow relatively free lexical choices in their syntactic positions, contain a limited number of predicates and most often express prohibitions against actions that violate societal norms. In complex omens, which mainly take the form of complex sentences, conditions are presented that are interpreted both as bad omens and as phenomena leading to particular, usually adverse, outcomes. There are also sign-microtexts, which are more detailed and consist of several separate constructions. The initial parts of these microtexts present desirable or undesirable phenomena or actions important to the ethnic worldview, followed by motivational constructions explaining why something is beneficial or harmful and why one should or should not act in a certain way. Since these signs are based on the life experience of native speakers, they reflect the worldview of the Karachay-Balkarian ethnic group and the diversity of their environment. This enables a preliminary thematic classification of omens related to various aspects of life, including hunting, handicrafts, agriculture, fauna, etiquette, and interpersonal relations. It is also notable that, due to their archaic nature, these signs largely reflect the mythological consciousness of the Karachay-Balkarian ethnoculture. For example, some constructions characteristically include zoolexemes denoting totemic animals. Despite their archaic and stable nature, these omen-statements can undergo formal and semantic transformations over time, influenced by changing living conditions and contact with other cultures.
Keywords: Karachay-Balkarian language, folklore, omens, classification, structure, semantics, function, mythological component
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Issue: 4, 2025
Series of issue: Issue 4
Rubric: LINGUISTICS
Pages: 9 — 18
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