The Reflection of Turkish and Russian Folk Beliefs in Phraseological Units: A Case Study of the Word Gold
Hakan SaraçLanguage serves as a universal semiotic system that allows for the expression of emotions and cognitive processes of individuals from various cultures and societies. From this perspective, language is a key code for deciphering societal mentalities. In recent years, there has been a growing interest among researchers in studying the cultural component of language. As a result, contemporary linguistics is actively engaged in exploring how different cultural ways of perceiving and interpreting the world are reflected in oral culture, utilizing new and modern methodologies. One of the most striking cultural symbols that reflects popular beliefs in both Turkish and Russian languages is the word “gold”. As a symbol of power, dominance, prosperity, and wealth in the history of both Turkish and Russian peoples, “gold” serves as a crucial key to understanding the worldview of individuals and societies within these cultures. Traces of popular beliefs about “gold” in Turkish and Russian cultures are particularly evident in stable language units. It is noticeable that the cultural symbol of “gold”, beyond its primary meaning as a ‘precious metal’, acquires additional semantic nuances and specific characteristics in figurative expressions. This study employs semiotic and linguoculturological methods to conduct a comparative analysis of set expressions, idioms, and proverbs containing the lexeme “gold” in Turkish and Russian. The aim is to identify and describe the representations and interpretations that shape Turkish and Russian folk understandings of “gold”. The conducted research has shown that popular beliefs about “gold” are represented by a variety of lexical units in both Turkish and Russian languages, however, in the worldviews reflected in these languages, there are both common features and differences.
Отражение народных представлений турецкого и русского обществ в фразеологических единицах на примере слова золото
Hakan SaraçЯзык выступает в качестве универсальной семиотической системы, служащей для выражения эмоций и когнитивных процессов представителей различных культур и обществ. С этой точки зрения язык является ключевым кодом для дешифровки ментальности общества. В последние годы все больше исследователей проявляют интерес к изучению культурной составляющей языка. Благодаря этому современная лингвистика активно занимается изучением того, как различные культурные способы восприятия и интерпретации мира отражаются в произведениях устной культуры, используя новые и современные методики. Одним из наиболее ярких культурных символов, отражающих народное представление в турецком и русском языках, является слово «золото». Являясь символом власти, господства, благосостояния и богатства в истории как турецкого, так и русского народов, «золото» служит важным ключом к пониманию мировоззрения человека и общества в этих культурах. Следы народных представлений о золоте в турецкой и русской культурах особенно заметны в устойчивых языковых единицах. Заметно, что культурный символ «золото», помимо своего основного значения ‘драгоценного металла’, в фигуративных выражениях наделяется дополнительными смысловыми оттенками и специфическими характеристиками. В рамках данного исследования с помощью семиотических и лингвокультурологических методов был проведен сопоставительный анализ устойчивых выражений, идиом и пословиц на турецком и русском языках, содержащих лексему «золото», с целью выявления и описания представлений и интерпретаций, формирующих турецкое и русское народное представление относительно «золота». Проведенное исследование показало, что народные представления о «золоте» представлены разнообразными лексическими единицами как в турецком, так и в русском языках, однако в мировоззренческих установках, отраженных в этих языках, наблюдаются как общие черты, так и различия.
Türk ve Rus Halk Düşüncesinin Kalıplaşmış Dil Birimlerine Yansıması: “Altın” Kelimesi Örneği
Hakan SaraçDil, dünya üzerindeki toplumların duygu ve düşüncelerini yansıtan evrensel bir kod sistemidir. Bu açıdan dil, toplumların düşünce tarzının anlaşılmasında anahtar görevi üstlenmektedir. Son yıllarda, araştırmacılarda dilin kültürel boyutunu incelemeye yönelik artan bir ilgi ve merak söz konusudur. Bu sayede modern dilbiliminde, farklı kültürlerden toplumların dünyayı algılama ve yorumlama biçimlerinin sözlü kültür ürünlerine yansıması kültürdilbilimin yöntemleri çerçevesinde yoğun olarak araştırılmaya başlanmıştır. Türk ve Rus dillerindeki halk düşüncesini en belirgin yansıtan kültürel sembollerden biri de “altın” sözcüğüdür. Zira “altın”, birçok toplumda olduğu gibi, Türk ve Rus tarihinde de güç, hakimiyet, refah ve zenginlik gibi kavramların temsil ifadesi olarak insana ve hayata ilişkin bakış açılarına dair ipuçları sunmaktadır. Türk ve Rus kültürlerinde “altın” ile ilgili halk düşüncelerinin izlerini özellikle de kalıplaşmış dil birimlerinde bulmak mümkündür. Kültürel sembol olarak “altın”ın, “yüksek değerli madde” temel manasının dışında figüratif anlamlarla donatılmış dilsel ifadelerde birtakım spesifik anlam ve özellikler kazandıkları göze çarpmaktadır. Bu sebeple bu çalışmada, “altın” ile ilgili Türk ve Slav halk düşünce dünyasını oluşturan algılamalar ve yorumlamaların belirlenmesi ve betimlenmesi amacıyla; Türk ve Rus dillerinde “altın” sözcüğünün geçtiği kalıp sözler, deyim ve atasözleri göstergebilimsel ve kültürdilbilimsel yöntemlerle karşılaştırmalı olarak incelenmiştir. Araştırma neticesinde, “altın”a ilişkin halk düşüncelerinin Türkçe ve Rusçanın söz varlığında çeşitli olmasının yanında iki dilde de ortak ve farklı dünya görüşlerinin olduğu anlaşılmıştır.
Language serves as a mechanism reflecting the emotions, thoughts, and accumulated knowledge of societies with diverse ethnic backgrounds through symbols. In this regard, language can be said to fulfill a significant function in understanding the thought patterns and behavioural norms of societies. Therefore, resorting to the oral cultural products in language is necessary for revealing, analysing, and interpreting the thought structure, worldview, and cultural heritage of a society. Lexical assets of language, such as idioms, proverbs, and fixed expressions, vividly reflect the shared history, belief system, and cultural values of societies. Particularly in recent years, there has been a growing interest and curiosity among researchers in examining the cultural dimension of language. As a result, in Modern Linguistics, the reflection of how societies from different cultures perceive and interpret the world through verbal cultural products has been extensively researched within the framework of cultural linguistic methods.
Cultural linguistics, which investigates the interaction between language and culture within the framework of cultural linguistic methods, allows us to interpret linguistics data. These interpretations enable us to determine the values, beliefs, and worldview of societies, and to see the perspectives of different societies regarding these concepts. The aim of this study is to uncover and understand the thought patterns of the Turkish and Russian people, which are distinct religious, social, and cultural entities. To achieve this goal, the term “gold” has been selected due to its significant importance and value across various aspects of life, stemming from its inherent qualities since ancient time.
In this study, the aim is to reveal and understand the thought patterns of the Turkish and Russian people, two religiously, socially, and culturally distinctive societies. For this purpose, the concept of “gold”, which has been attributed significant importance and value across various aspects of life since ancient times due to its inherent qualities, has been employed. Because “gold”, like in many other societies, serves as a symbolic representation of concepts such as power, dominance, prosperity, and wealth in Turkish and Russian history, providing insights into perspectives on life and humanity. Therefore, it is possible to say that “gold” is one of the cultural symbols that most vividly reflects the thought of the Turkish and Russian people in the oral products of language. In this regard, as a cultural symbol, “gold” acquires certain specific and characteristics in figurative expressions beyond its denotative meaning of ‘precious metal’. Accordingly, using semiotic and linguoculturological approaches, Turkish and Russian set phrases, idioms, and proverbs containing the lexeme “gold” are comparatively analyzed to uncover and describe the Turkic and Slavic folk thought regarding “gold” in both cultures. Thus, the study aims to reveal the perceptions, thoughts, and associations related to “gold” in the Turkish and Russian thought systems from ancient times to present day. In line with this purpose, various electronic and printed Turkish and Russian dictionaries have been utilized to identify and determine idioms, proverbs, and other fixed expressions, which are verbal products of folk culture. During this study, it has been noted that the primary and secondary meanings of the word “gold” as a cultural symbol are limited in the Great Turkish and Russian Dictionaries. Throughout history, Turks and Russians have attached great importance to “gold” and have used it as a motif, image, symbol, and metaphor in various aspects of their lives. The examination and interpretation of Turkish and Russian folk thought reflected in proverbs, idioms, and other fixed expressions related to “gold” have become significantly important for addressing this deficiency in dictionaries. We attempted to eliminate this problem by providing a cultural interpretation of the linguistic assets under examination.
As result of the research, it has been understood that the folk thoughts regarding “Gold” vary in Turkish and Russian linguistic assets, indicating both common and different linguistic view of the World in the two languages. In this article, it has been understood that the physical and chemical qualities of “gold”, such as its brightness, durability, mesmerizing nature, scarcity, resistance to tarnishing, corrosion, and abrasion, as a natural mineral, are reinterpreted in the mental worlds of Turkish and Russian people through metaphor, symbol, and analogy. As a result, “gold” has been recognized as a cultural symbol that qualifies objects, actions, and phenomena related to human life.
A comparative linguocultural analysis of set expressions containing the lexemes “zoloto” (Russian) and “altın” (Turkish) has revealed both shared and distinctive features of Russian and Turkish cultures.
The following common features of the two linguocultures can be highlighted: Both Turkish “altın” and Russian “zoloto” symbolize wealth, material power, and prosperity in both cultures. In both linguocultures, “altın” and “zoloto” are perceived as money and are used metonymically to represent currency. Both cultures view “altın” and “zoloto” as symbols of wealth, abundance, enrichment, and material welfare. Wealthy and affluent individuals are associated with and defined by “altın” and “zoloto” in both linguocultures. Valuable, significant, and important individuals or objects are often identified with “altın” and “zoloto”. Successful individuals, generations, and historical periods are often compared to “altın” and “zoloto”. Both lexemes serve as symbols of external beauty in relation to individuals or objects.
Key distinctions between the two linguocultures include the following: Unlike the Russian lexeme “zoloto”, the Turkish term “altın” symbolizes not only external beauty but also human health. In Russian linguoculture, the lexeme “zoloto” is not associated with concepts such as good name, reputation, or prestige. In contrast to Turkish “altın”, Russian “zoloto” is perceived as a symbol of exclusivity and social distinction for a particular group or community. In Turkish linguoculture, the lexeme “altın” is not associated with the concept of deceptive appearances or false impressions.
Semiotic and linguoculturological analysis reveals that the concept of “gold” in Turkish and Russian extends beyond its material value, encompassing a rich array of metaphorical and symbolic meanings. This comparative study reveals that the folk beliefs, worldviews, mentalities, and cultural structures of Turks and Russians regarding “gold” are reflected in their linguistic assets and have been passed down through generations.
