Meanings of adjectives alag and ala in the Buryat and Khakas languages (a case study of epic works)

This paper presents a comparative analysis of epic works aimed at examining the semantic structures of two adjectives, alag in Buryat and ala in Khakas. The analysis findings provide a comprehensive picture of the semantic space of the words under study. Special attention is paid to word-to-word connections in the epic language, allowing the nomination motive to be identified. This study has contributed to uncovering the new meanings of the adjective alag, namely “brilliant,” “anxious,” and “dulled,” which are not specified in Mongolian-Russian dictionaries. The issue of the primary and secondary meanings is considered to be crucial in studying the semantic transitions within a polysemant. It is suggested that the meaning of “motley” was derived from the meaning “brilliant,” referring to the predominance of light spots or stripes. The word alag is assumed to have combined with the synonyms erēn “variegated” and sōhor “motley” in the epos language after losing the supposed primary meaning “brilliant.” Identifying the common meaning of “shining” in Turkic-Mongolian epic reflects the peculiarities of the national-cultural worldview of related peoples. The language representation of perceptual information is regarded as a result of the primary stage of self-knowledge, reflecting the mental-psychological and national-cultural specificity of Turkic-Mongolian people. Studying the semantic structure of the adjective alag / ala is expected to identify some general lines of the perceptual information implementation in Turkic and Mongolian languages.