Semantic types of snow nominations in the dialects of the North-Eastern dialect zone of the Yakut language

The article analyzes snow nominations in the North-Eastern dialects of the Yakut language. The relevance of the study is determined by the insufficient knowledge of dialectal terminology, as well as the rapid disappearance of this unique lexical layer under the influence of globalization and urbanization. The aim of the work is to identify, systematize, and analyze the methods of snow nomination, which is an important step for their documentation and introduction into scholarly discourse. The methodological basis of the research was the method of continuous sampling from lexicographical sources, which allowed for the identification of 20 lexemes. These were classified into 8 lexico-thematic groups: crusted snow (nast); snowdrifts and blizzards; soft snow; fine snow; snow crystals; deep snow; loose snow; and mixed snow with rain. A key analytical tool was the concept of the formal-semantic structure of a word, understood as its inner form. A detailed analysis of the lexical units revealed key motivational features and methods of nomination. It was established that snow nominations are formed through: 1) borrowings (e.g., obuyoy, sögürüöp); 2) affixation (e.g., bispëh, tübük); 3) the lexico-semantic method, primarily metaphorization (e.g., bïta, dïgdïa toŋot, kuobah bahağa, kuobah kuturuga); and 4) the lexico-syntactic method (e.g., köbüörünnük khaar, sekiriennik khaar). The metaphors are based on zoomorphic (kuobah ‘hare’), phytomorphic (bïta ‘rhizome’), somatic (kuturuk ‘tail’, bahah ‘thickened part’), and other associations. For instance, the nomination khaptahïn toŋot (lit. ‘board-crust’) not only describes hard crusted snow but also encodes knowledge about its danger for herd horse breeding. The study clearly demonstrates that dialectal snow names are not merely a set of labels, but a complex system that verbalizes centuries-old observational experience, economic and cultural practices, and the adaptation strategies of the Yakuts to the harsh Arctic conditions. The linguistic worldview is inextricably linked to the natural environment. The obtained results emphasize the value of dialect data for linguistics and ethnography and open prospects for further comparative-historical research within the Turkic and Altaic languages.

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