Abstract
The article examines the structural-semantic, pragmatic, and cognitive features of the Kazakh paremia “Zhaqsy eneni zhaman kelin zher qylady, zhaqsy kelin zhaman eneni el qylady.” The study aims to identify how the proverb encodes ideas about family relations, social reputation, the evaluative opposition of good and bad, and intergenerational interaction, and to determine how it is perceived by a contemporary Kazakh-speaking audience. The material includes the focal paremia, semantically related proverbs, lexicographic and literary data, and survey responses from 60 participants. Structural-semantic, cognitive, pragmatic, contextual, and comparative analyses were combined with content grouping of open-ended responses. The results show that the proverb’s two-part antithetical construction links family reputation to interpersonal behavior through the oppositions “good/bad” and “to disgrace/to bring honor.” Survey data demonstrate the coexistence of a traditional didactic interpretation and a contemporary socio-gender critical reading: 38.3% of respondents understand and use the proverb, while 56.7% understand it but do not use it. The scientific value of the study lies in integrating the semantic analysis of one paremia with evidence of its current reception. The findings may be applied in paremiology, cultural linguistics, research on linguistic consciousness, and the teaching of Kazakh.