Abstract
This article presents a corpus-based analysis of the ethnocultural connotation of “gold” in Kazakh fairy tales. The study aims to systematize and examine the symbolic and cultural meanings associated with gold through corpus data. In the Kazakh worldview, gold occupies a significant place in folklore, culture, and everyday life. Due to its radiant yellow color, intrinsic value, and rarity, it is portrayed in fairy tales as a sacred object endowed with mystical and supernatural qualities. Images such as a golden palace, a golden-horned deer, a golden tree, golden water, and golden hair symbolize not only material wealth but also culturally embedded meanings specific to Kazakh tradition. The relevance of the study stems from the lack of specialized corpus-based research devoted to this topic. The article clarifies the concepts of “connotation” and “ethnocultural connotation” and reviews their interpretation in both international and Kazakh scholarship. The distinctive features of the ethnocultural connotation of gold are identified through linguistic data collection, systematization, frequency and statistical analysis, and comparative analysis. The findings contribute to the development of theoretical and applied research in emerging areas of Kazakh linguistics, including linguo-folklore studies, linguoculturology, ethnolinguistics, cognitive linguistics, and related disciplines.