Semantization of Substantivized Participles in Kazakh and Nogai Languages

Abstract

This article examines the semantic features and contextual usage of substantivized participles in the Kazakh and Nogai languages, which belong to the Western Kipchak branch of the Turkic language family. The study explores the process of participial substantivization and its linguistic manifestation, offering a comparative analysis of these two closely related languages. The most productive participial affixes common to both languages were selected, and their functional roles were identified. The findings are supported by examples from literary texts, providing a detailed description of the semantic nature of substantivized participles. The Nogai language, while structurally similar to Kazakh, remains under-researched in linguistic studies. Therefore, a comparative approach involving Kazakh and Nogai language data highlights the relevance of this research. The widespread occurrence of substantivization in modern linguistics reflects its high usage potential and the strong link between the linguistic personality and the lexical system. It has been established that in both languages, substantivized participles serve predicative, attributive, and object functions. Substantivization refers to the process by which other parts of speech transition into nouns and acquire nominal meaning. This process is a type of conversion. In both Kazakh and Nogai linguistics, virtually all parts of speech are subject to substantivization due to the broad lexical scope and functional versatility of nouns. Given the complexity and scope of substantivization, this study focuses specifically on the substantivization of participles. Particular attention is paid to the similarities and differences in participial forms between the two languages. This study is the first to treat substantivized participles in Kazakh and Nogai as an independent subject of analysis. Its value lies in incorporating psycholinguistic characteristics of substantivization, as well as linguistic and cultural data, while employing a comparative and semantic approach. The article can be used as supplementary material in university-level courses such as “Historical Grammar of the Kazakh Language”, “Comparative Linguistics”, “Turkic Languages”, “Semantics of the Kazakh Language”, and “Word Formation in Kazakh”. It may also be of interest to readers and researchers focused on Turkic linguistics. Substantivization, as a signif- icant phenomenon in Turkic word formation, continues to require further research from semantic, communicative, and functional perspectives