Concept of “City” in the Kazakh Poetic Texts

Abstract

In the literary artistic process of Kazakhstan, where bilingualism is observed, the image of the city is interpreted from different points—the urban and traditional. The basic concept of “steppe”, displaying the key concepts of the national mentality, are based on the peculiarities of the geographical area, natural resource use, lifestyle of the Kazakh people, a way of managing economy. Urbanistic processes that changed the space of Kazakhs led to certain changes in the perception of the world, its evaluation. This is related to changes in the national consciousness, which was formed over thousands of years of nomadic life. Therefore, in the mentality of poets who preserved the spirit of the nomads, the city is represented in two ways, opposed to the steppe, embodying all the best in the behavior, character and emotional sphere of the people.