Article

Name: Genre features of Altai lullabies

Authors: Nadezhda R. Oynotkinova

Institute of Philology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation

In the section Study of folklore

Abstract:

This paper identifies the semantic and pragmatic features of Altai lullabies. Through linguostylistic and functional lenses, this work investigates folklore genres, connecting their linguistic features and content to their communicative roles and explaining these features based on their intended function. Analysis of the linguistic style and function of Altai lullabies has revealed the following genre characteristics. The structure of lullabies employs poetic text in the form of syntactic parallelism, characterized by isosyllabism, equisyllabicity, and initial rhyme. Lullabies primarily serve educational and protective purposes, complemented by aesthetic and communicative functions. The stylistic features of Altai lullabies are distinguished by unique vocabulary and grammatical structures that convey specific meanings. Altai lullabies are characterized by the use of vocatives and affectionately diminutive nouns, along with sound-symbolic words like “bayu-bai” and its variants. The verb predicates appear in the imperative mood and an extended present-future tense. Value concepts, including the contrasting binaries of good and evil, and work and laziness, are conveyed in lullabies via emotive and evaluative language, which is expressed through various figures of speech: parallelisms, symbols, epithets, and metaphors. In crafting lullabies, singers may employ characteristic imagery and motifs from folklore, including fairy tales, myths, and songs, to express particular ideas.

Keywords: folklore of the Altai people, lullabies, semantics, functions of lullabies, genre, poetics, family values of the Altai people

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