Associative structure of ethnocultural units "shanyrak”, “dombra”, “sandyk” in the Kazakh language

Abstract

The traditions, culture, history, and heritage of a nation are reflected in its language. In the context of societal development, identifying factors that preserve national values and shape them in the consciousness of the younger generation within a multicultural and multilingual environment is essential. In this regard, ethnocultural units – key indicators of the national identity of the Kazakh language – play a significant role. A national symbol reflects a nation’s uniqueness and identity, representing its history, culture, and spiritual values while ensuring international representation. Such symbols originate from the traditions, worldview,
and cultural values of the people. The words “dombra,” “shanyrak,” and “sandyk” are not merely lexical items but ethnocultural units with pragmatic functions in linguistic consciousness. They reflect not only the material but also the spiritual and cultural foundations of national identity. This article analyzes the influence of these ethnocultural units in the Kazakh language on the formation of national values within a multiethnic, multicultural, and multilingual space, as well as the key contributing factors. The aim of the study is to identify the associative structures of “dombra,” “sandyk,” and “shanyrak,” and to determine factors shaping
national values in the linguistic consciousness of modern youth. The research follows a traditional associative experiment based on the stimulus–response model, where associativity is defined by the relationship between stimulus words (provided by the researcher) and respondents’ reactions. In this study, “dombra,” “sandyk,” and “shanyrak” were used as stimulus words. A total of 62 Kazakh respondents aged 17–35 participated (51.6% students, 11.3% master’s students, 4.8% doctoral students, 29% employees, 3.2% mothers on childcare leave). Of these, 96.8% studied in Kazakh-medium schools and 3.2% in Russian-medium schools.
At the university level, 80.6% studied in Kazakh, 16.1% in English, 1% in Russian, and 1% in Kazakh Russian. The findings systematize the associative fields of “dombra,” “sandyk,” and “shanyrak” and identify key factors shaping national values in a polyethnic space, including synonymic and hierarchical relationships among response words.