*ҚАЗАҚ ТІЛДІК САНАСЫНДАҒЫ «ҚЫЗ ҰЗАТУ» ТОЙЫНЫҢ РЕПРЕЗЕНТАЦИЯСЫ

Abstract

The article presents a comprehensive psycholinguistic analysis of one of the important traditions within the system of Kazakh wedding rituals — the ethnocultural unit «Қыз ұзату» («Seeing off the Bride»). The main objective of the study is to identify the linguistic image of the stimulus word «Қыз ұзату» in the ethnocultural consciousness of language speakers and to determine its functions as a cultural code. The study employed a free associative experiment, involving 100 respondents aged 17 to 74. The collected responses were systematized according to their semantic features and analyzed with regard to frequency indicators.

The results showed that the stimulus word «Қыз ұзату» is retained in the respondents’ linguistic consciousness as a multi-level ethnocultural structure. Most participants described this ethnocultural unit as an important component of the national cultural code and as an ancient Kazakh ritual.

Associative analysis allowed for the identification of linguistic units reflecting the emotional and cultural nuances of the stimulus word. Lexemes such as «happiness», «love», «sadness» and «parting» convey the emotional dimension of the tradition, while words like «сәукеле», «сынсу», «беташар», «ақ бата», and «той» represent its material and spiritual aspects.

The study demonstrated that the ethnocultural unit «Қыз ұзату» functions not only as an ethnographic ritual but also as a carrier of a cultural code that transmits family values across generations. This underscores the vitality of national traditions in Kazakh society and their reinterpretation within the contemporary sociocultural context. The obtained associative data expand the scope of ethnopsycholinguistic research and contribute to a deeper understanding of the linguistic expression of Kazakh ethnocultural values.