Аннотация
This study addresses the understudied comparative analysis of traditional and innovative female figures in medieval Turkic literary monuments. The conceptual content of female figures is examined from a cultural perspective, with attention to how linguistic means realise these images. The study focuses on literary works from the Kazakh and Kyrgyz traditions, analysing key models of female characters, such as the wife-advisor, the keeper of the home, the faithful wife, the prophetic woman, the warrior woman, the mother, and the sister. The research examines how these characters reflect the values and norms of the medieval Turkic world, highlighting their linguistic construction through portrait sketches, behavioural descriptions, and emotional expressions. The main goal is to reconstruct the linguocultural models of female representation in medieval Turkic texts and to identify similarities and differences between Kazakh and Kyrgyz traditions. The study was carried out through the analysis of the Kazakh heroic epic Koblandy batyr, the Kyrgyz heroic epic Manas, and the chronicle novel The Nomads by the Kazakh writer I. Yesenberlin. The following methods were employed: linguocultural analysis, conceptual analysis, contextual analysis, comparative methods, and synthetic approaches. These methods allowed the identification of the key models and conceptualization of female images in Kazakh and Kyrgyz literature, revealing significant similarities and differences in their portrayal. “Mirror” correspondences are observed between Kazakh and Kyrgyz traditions in models such as the wife-advisor, keeper of the home, and faithful wife. Kanykay is distinguished as a composite figure combining wife and warrior features. Karlyga and Saikal, both warrior women, display divergent narrative trajectories: Karlyga transforms into a spouse, Saikal remains a maiden-heroine. The figure of Zhakhan is more complex, embodying both a warrior woman and a mother. These characters were depicted using a variety of linguistic tools, including metaphors, epithets, rhetorical devices, hyperbole, and symbolic imagery. The comparative analysis revealed that Kazakh literature employs a broader and more nuanced set of linguistic tools, resulting in more elaborate and multidimensional female images. In terms of cultural context, the research identified recurrent plot elements such as mourning after a hero’s death and the depiction of female warriors engaging in heroic battles. These shared motifs further reinforce the linguistic and cultural proximity of the female images in both traditions. The study concludes that the linguistic and conceptual analysis of female characters in these works not only provides insights into medieval Turkic cultural values but also offers a foundation for comparative studies in the future. The research can be used to examine the transformation of female images across different historical epochs and literary traditions, contributing to the broader fields of linguistics, cultural studies, gender studies, and comparative literature. The findings are significant for understanding the role of women in medieval Turkic societies and can serve as a basis for future academic inquiry into the representation of female characters across various cultures and historical contexts.