The Mediation Function of Language in Traditional Kazakh Culture

The research paper is devoted to a comprehensive consideration of the mediative function of language in traditional Kazakh culture. The main purpose of the work is to identify the specifics of the use of language in the historical and cultural practice of Kazakh society as a means of coordinating interests, settling disputes and harmonizing social relations. In accordance with this goal, the article defines the following tasks: cultural and social foundations of linguistic mediation in traditional Kazakh society; description of linguistic structures and pragmatic strategies of institutions that ensure dispute resolution through speech; identification of semantic features of linguistic norms aimed at maintaining social harmony in national culture. In the course of solving these tasks, the oral oratorical heritage of the Kazakhs is analyzed from linguistic and pragmatic positions. The conducted research allowed us to establish that the mediative function of language in traditional Kazakh culture goes beyond simple communication. It forms the basis of mechanisms for maintaining social harmony, regulating the moral code of the community and the peaceful settlement of conflict situations. It is also proved that the speech culture of leaders and bi-speakers contributed to the formation of a specific national model of mediation, and its language strategies (forms of etiquette, indirect ways of expression, metaphorical and symbolic structures and pragmatic means of mitigation) are consonant with modern theories of mediation. The scientific significance of the study lies in the fact that the phenomenon of mediation in Kazakh culture is being systematically examined for the first time in a linguistic and pragmatic perspective, which makes it possible to identify the contribution of traditional speech experience to the development of the general theory of mediation. The practical value of the work is determined by the possibility of using the results obtained in mediation training programs, in the development of ethno-cultural models of negotiation practices, as well as in projects aimed at updating the culture of Kazakh oral speech.

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