Article

Name: Genre features of songs and good wishes in the wedding rituals of the Altai people

Authors: Nadezhda R. Oynotkinova

Institute of Philology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation

In the section Study of folklore

Abstract:

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the genre elements present in Altai songs and wedding well-wishes. The relevance is due to the lack of research on the poetics of wedding genres in Altai folklore in modern folklore studies. The novelty is identifying the functions and semantics of wedding songs and good wishes in the wedding rituals of the Altai people. During Altai wedding ceremonies, oral wishes and songs, known as jaŋar, are performed at every wedding stage. The distinctive characteristic of these genres is their strong association with ritual actions. Songs are an integral part of various ceremonies, including matchmaking, weddings, the bride’s procession, braiding, and rituals in the house of the bride’s parents. Good wishes are predominantly sung during the blessing ceremony. In terms of genre pragmatics, wedding songs and good wishes play a role in blessing a young family and honoring the parents of the bride and groom. The functional and semantic feature of wedding songs and good wishes of the Altaians is the affirmation of moral and ethical values and principles of living in society. The objective world of the Altai wedding is filled with symbolic meanings determined by their role in the ritual. The analysis of wedding songs and good wishes revealed the wide range of artistic and stylistic techniques employed in language, encompassing both formal and semantic aspects to convey specific conceptual ideas.

Keywords: Altai folklore, Altai rituals, wedding rites, poetics, wedding songs, Altai wishes

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