Concept in Kazakh Linguoculture: An Experimental-Associative Study

Sovetova Z. Baltabayeva A. Sagyndykuly B. Nurkeyeva B. Smailova A. Gaipova S. Yermekbayeva S. Khassenov B.
June 2025 Bilingual Publishing Group

Forum for Linguistic Studies
2025 #7 Issue 6 804 - 820 pp.

This article explores the concept of qonyr as a unique phenomenon within Kazakh linguoculture. The primary objective of the study is to identify the semantic dominants and cultural associations activated in the minds of native speakers when perceiving this word. The research is based on an associative experiment conducted with 103 respondents using the semantic differential method. Participants were asked to evaluate the degree of associative connection between qonyr and 64 concepts grouped into 16 thematic categories, including nature, emotions, age, moral traits, musical instruments, and others. Statistical processing through the Jamovi software enabled the identification of stable associative links that reflect the deep integration of qonyr into Kazakh national consciousness. The results revealed that qonyr extends beyond its literal meaning as a color term, encompassing a broad spectrum of emotional, symbolic, and axiological meanings. It is most frequently associated with concepts such as autumn (küz), soil (topyraq), the traditional musical instrument dombra, the personality trait momyn (meek), and ethnic identity (Qazaq), indicating its role as a cultural code. The findings suggest that qonyr functions as a complex linguocultural construct expressing core Kazakh values, including simplicity, spiritual harmony, emotional depth, and connection with nature and tradition. The study contributes to the fields of cognitive linguistics, ethnolinguistics, and language pedagogy by offering empirical evidence of concept formation in minority languages. The results may also be applied in the development of culturally grounded Kazakh language teaching materials and comparative cultural-linguistic research.

Associative Experiment , Concept , Kazakh Linguoculture , National Consciousness)

Text of the article Перейти на текст статьи

Department of languages, Almaty University of Power Engineering and Telecommunications named after Gumarbek Daukeyev, Almaty, 050013, Kazakhstan
Kazakh Language Department, Buketov Karaganda University, Karaganda, 100028, Kazakhstan
Higher School of Humanities, NCAS «Pavlodar pedagogical University named after Alkey Margulan», Pavlodar, 140000, Kazakhstan
Faculty of Economics, Management and Entrepreneurship, Karaganda University Kazpotrebsoyuz, Karaganda, 100028, Kazakhstan
Foreign Languages Department, Kazakh National Research Technical University, Almaty, 050013, Kazakhstan

Department of languages
Kazakh Language Department
Higher School of Humanities
Faculty of Economics
Foreign Languages Department

10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель

Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026