Semantic and Stylistic Features of Figurative Lexis in the Khanty Language (Based on Colloquial and Artistic Discourse)

Introduction. To date, in linguistics, the problem of separating figurative words from other expressive language units remains unresolved. The criteria according to which a given lexical unit is marked as figurative in an explanatory dictionary are unclear. The aim of the research is to identify and analyze the types of figurative words and expressions in the Khanty language. Materials and Methods. The study was conducted using texts in the Kazym dialect of the Khanty language, employing Wolfgang Steinitz’s “Dialektologisches und etymologisches Wörterbuch der Ostjakischen Sprache” (1966–1991). The author’s approach to the topic is based on an understanding of language as a complex, multi-level system, the individual elements of which are studied by linguists using various methods. The essence of the most important method for us lies in the systematization of concepts that describe units of the same nature and that stand in relations of variability to one another. In our case, figurative words and expressions are examined as expressive means, and their distinctive features are identified against the background of epithets, metaphors, and similes. In the course of textual analysis, all expressive means are first identified, followed by those linguistic units whose semantics contain an indication of the location of the source, the original. The semantics of words whose meanings imply the presence of a figurative component are verified using W. Steinitz’s dialectological and etymological dictionary. It is also assumed that many figurative words and expressions of the Khanty language are already recorded in this dictionary. Results and Discussion. The analysis of speech samples in the Khanty language has revealed the possibility of distinguishing figurative words and expressions from other expressive means and of deriving a specific typology of figurative units in the language. Lexical figurative units include the majority of figurative meanings of words, compound words (including those formed through the transference of meaning of one of their components), and figurative phrases (including those that are part of proverbs and sayings). Contextual figurative units are words and combinations whose figurative component arises within a given specific context. Conclusion. The practical significance of the study lies in the effectiveness of searching for figurative words and expressions in colloquial speech and literary works – that is, in those types of discourse where they are actively used. The prospects for further research are associated with accumulating sufficient material to compile a dictionary of figurative words and expressions in the Khanty language.