Archaic Bookish Words in Abai Kunanbayuly’s Works: A Linguostatistical Analysis

Authors

  • Aikerim Mursal

    The Department of Language History and Turkology, A. Baitursynuly Institute of Linguistics, Almaty 050010, Kazakhstan
  • Gulden Tlegenova

    The Department of Applied Linguistics, A. Baitursynuly Institute of Linguistics, Almaty 050010, Kazakhstan
  • Aiman Zhanabekova

    The Department of Applied Linguistics, A. Baitursynuly Institute of Linguistics, Almaty 050010, Kazakhstan
  • Anna Cherepanova

    The Department of Practical Foreign Language, Kazakh National Women’s Pedagogical University, Almaty 050010, Kazakhstan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i3.8506
Received: 21 January 2025 | Revised: 4 February 2025 | Accepted: 6 February 2025 | Published Online: 28 February 2025

Abstract

This article examines the archaic bookish words presented in the works of the great Kazakh poet and thinker Abai Kunanbayuly. The purpose of the article is identifying the specifics of the use of archaisms and bookish words in Abai’s works, as well as their role in the formation of the aesthetic and philosophical content of the literary texts. In the context of the study of archaic bookish words in the works of Abai Kunanbayuly, the study allowed us to identify the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the word frequency according to parts of speech used. The analysis is based on a linguostatistical approach, using a quantitative method to determine the word frequency, contextual use and semantic connections of archaic vocabulary. The results of the analysis showed that the most frequently used parts of speech are verbs (14,956 examples) and nouns (14,119 examples). This frequency reflects the dynamic and descriptive nature of Abai’s works, as well as their connection with traditional culture and philosophy. The study shows that the author’s use of archaisms highlights the richness of the Kazakh language while playing a key role in preserving cultural and historical traditions. It connects the heritage of the past with the values of modernization. The findings of the study confirm that archaic vocabulary demonstrates the richness of the lexical and semantic potentials of the Kazakh language. The results obtained can be useful for further study of the lexico-semantic features of Abai’s works and the role of archaic bookish words on the development of the modern Kazakh language.

Keywords:

Abai Kunanbayuly; Archaic Words; Bookish Words; Word Frequency; Borrowings; Literary Texts; Linguostatistical Analysis; Bookish Style; Kazakh Literature

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How to Cite

Mursal, A., Tlegenova, G., Zhanabekova, A., & Cherepanova, A. (2025). Archaic Bookish Words in Abai Kunanbayuly’s Works: A Linguostatistical Analysis. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(3), 195–208. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i3.8506

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 3 (March 2025): In Progress

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Article

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Copyright © 2025 Aikerim Mursal, Gulden Tlegenova, Aiman Zhanabekova, Anna Cherepanova

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.