Polysemy in the Structure of Nominal Nouns in the Kazakh Language

Abstract

A linguistic analysis of lexico-semantic phenomenon of polysemy, focuses on its internal structure and interpretative mechanisms. It critically explores the identification of core meanings, underlying causal relationships, and the structural aspects of semantic connections. The study aims to outline the complexities of motivational links in language, their underlying foundations, and the polysemous structure of meaning itself, alongside the similarities and differences across semantic groupings. The qualitative, descriptive-analytical research design integrates componential analysis, etymological and ethnolinguistic approaches, enabling a multi-layered understanding of semantic structures of polysemous nominal nouns sampled from the Kazakh language. A functional-semantic framework, combining diachronic and synchronic perspectives, was used to analyze the sampled polysemous nominal nouns. As a result, the study identifies the motivational links and semantic foundations of polysemous nouns, delineating key similarities and differences across semantic groupings. The findings contribute to a more structured and theoretically grounded framework for analyzing polysemy within Turkic languages Limitations include the focus on nominal nouns and exclusion of verbs or adjectives. Recommendations are made for extending the analysis to other word classes and for applying the results in lexicography and language education.