Paremiological space of language: the concept of “state” (based on the materials of the Kazakh and English languages)

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to conduct a comparative analysis of the linguistic and cultural representations of the concept “state” within the paremiological frameworks of the Kazakh and English languages. The term “state” denotes a sovereign political entity characterized by defined territorial boundaries, institutional governance, and a collective cultural identity. As the most dominant form of political organization in a modern history, its conceptualization through folk wisdom provides critical anthropological insights. Proverbs, as crystallized expressions of popular ethos transmitted across generations, offer a unique lens to examine how distinct cultures encode sociopolitical values. Furthermore, similar conceptual aspects of the concept of “state” were taken into consideration, selected, and classified in the form of drawings from paremies in the Kazakh and English languages, given that the concept of “state” emerged considerably later and other alternatives were used in informal conversation among the people earlier. The study first establishes the theoretical foundations of conceptual analysis and paremiology, drawing on frameworks from cognitive linguistics (Lakoff’s metaphor theory) and cultural semioyics. Methodologically, it employs contrastive analysis to categorize and compare state — related proverbs from both languages, with data sourced from ethnological archives, literary corpuses (Kazakh oral traditions and English classical texts), and digital paremiological databases. It is noted that the concept of the “state” emerged relatively late in human history, displacing earlier models of clan-based and tribal governance; this historical shift is reflected in how proverbs reinterpret prestate metaphors (such as “the ruler as a shepherd”) to express ideas of statehood. The analysis reveals three core findings: 1) Kazakh paremiology predominantly conceptualized the state through organinc metaphors (e.g. «El birligi — eldin tiregi» (“National unity is the state’s backbone”)), emphasizing communal harmony and territorial stewardship. 2) English proverbs favor mechanistic imagery (e.g., “Laws are the pillars of the state”), highlighting institutional order and legal sovereignty. 3) Cross-cultural parallels emerge in proverbs linking state stability to collective welfare, though cultural priorities diverge: Kazakh traditions prioritize ecological and kinship bonds, while Anglo-American paremiologies stress individual rights and institutional checks. The study acknowledges limitations, including regional dialectal variations within Kazakh and the underrepresentation of post-colonial contexts in English corpora.