The Kazakh Concept of Soul in Abai Kunanbaevs Book of Words
Zhabayeva S.S.
December 2022International Islamic University Malaysia
Asiatic
2022#16Issue 27 - 24 pp.
This study explores conceptualisations of жан ([jan] soul) in the Kazakh language from the perspective of cultural linguistics and its literary representation in the English translation of Book of Words by Abai Kunanbaev, a prominent Kazakh philosopher and writer. The concept of жан (jan) was analysed from the viewpoint of philosophical and image features and their roles in the formation of the national worldview. A comparative study showed discrepancies in its realisation by Abai Kunanbaev and the English translation even though some variations in the translation cannot be complete equivalents. There is a lack of semantic and cultural identity, and the results indicate that the literal English translation of жан (jan) does not transmit its whole cultural implications. The article also focuses on determining how different methods of translation reproduce the semantics of the analysed concept. The analysis concludes with the necessity of using structural and semantic shifts to better represent the target concept and culture.
Abai Kunanbaev , conceptualisation of the reality , cultural semantics , translation equivalence , Translation of culture
Text of the article Перейти на текст статьи
The Department of Foreign Philology, A. Baitursynov Kostanay Regional University, Kazakhstan
The Department of Foreign Philology
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026