Metaphorical Features of the Animated Nature of the Concept of Earth in the Kyrgyz Linguistic Picture of the World

The article investigates the multifaceted concept of earth (zher) within the Kyrgyz linguistic worldview. The study analyzes the internal structure of this concept, its verbal realization, and the system of metaphorical features that associate the earth with the living world. Special attention is paid to the animated and anthropomorphic interpretation of earth, which reflects culturally grounded emotional, cognitive, and axiological perceptions. Based on the analysis of folklore, literary texts, and paremiological sources, 49 figurative animated features of the concept were identified, and grouped according to their semantic nature. These metaphorical representations reveal the significant role of the earth in shaping collective consciousness and preserving Kyrgyz cultural values. The study addresses the question of how the concept of earth has been actualized in language and what place it occupies in the historical development of the Kyrgyz linguistic worldview.