ABOUT TRANSLATING NAMES OF EPIC HEROES AND THEIR HORSES

Abstract

On the example of Shor heroic legends, recorded from contemporary storytellers – kajchi, as well as the archival text of “Meret Oolak…”, this article examines the forgotten words and archaisms, found in the names of epic heroes and horse colour terms.

The subject of the article is relevant due to the fact that there are difficulties in translating and understanding proper names of epic heroes and coat colours of their horses containing a large number of archaisms and difficult-to-translate vocabulary, the semantics of which cannot be always explained by storytellers themselves.

The scientific novelty of this work consists in the fact that, on the basis of decoded epic texts and engaging materials closely related to Turkic-speaking peoples (Altay, Khakass), we first analyzed and restored the lost performers of the archaic words and expressions.

The purpose of the article is to identify forgotten words and archaisms found in names and colours of horse coats. Clarification of the meaning of the words, lost language, will undoubtedly enrich the vocabulary of contemporary Shor people. For this research, the following works were carried out: working with the closely related dictionaries of Turkic-speaking peoples (Altay, Khakass), the study and mapping of the comparative material, attracted from their language and folklore.

The translation of forgotten words and difficult-to-translate vocabulary, the meaning of which cannot be always explained by native speakers themselves, remains relevant in the Siberian folklore studies. Therefore, the solution to these outstanding issues on the Shor epic material will form the basis for comparative-contrasting studies in Siberian epic studies. In addition to these academic results, identifying archaisms and setting their values is of great importance for the modern generation of Shor peoples who, growing up in the Russian urban environment, are gradually forgetting not only their native language, but also the culture. Restored semantics of the archaic epic words and expressions will replenish the vocabulary of the contemporary Shor people.

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