The Image of a Man in Khanty Fairy Tales: Psycholinguistic Aspect

Introduction. The scientific article presents, for the first time, an analysis of fairy tales in the Khanty language as a subject of psycholinguistic analysis of male personality traits. The analysis was conducted by creating a character-centered portrait of the man as the central figure in the artistic discourse of the Khanty people. The aim of the study is to provide a psycholinguistic characterization of the individual qualities of the man based on the texts of Khanty fairy tales. Materials and Methods. The study is based on texts from Khanty folk tales such as “As Tyiikityvum Ver” (“The Origin of As Tyiik”) and “Mεŋkiketpa Ajpŏχlε” (“Mengki, the Giants, and Aj Pukhle”), as well as authorial tales like “Vўsхә ay Khily” (“The Merchant’s Youngest Grandson”), “Ietenkhătel Pelyak Pukh” (“The Boy from Where the Sun Rises…”), “Kasumikiputrat” (“Stories of an Old Khanty”), and “LεrPukhie” (“Boy-Koryeshok”). The methodological foundation of the research is based on the principles of systematicity and historicism, which view the literary text as a source of diverse, multi-level information from the perspective of the unity of content and form. The study integrates linguistic source analysis and functional-stylistic approaches, which together constitute a linguo-textological analysis of the works. In line with these approaches, descriptive methods (including observation, comparison, classification, and generalization) and comparative methods (in comparing the thematic integrity of the corpus of literary texts) are used in the research. Structural-semantic and component analysis methods were employed when analyzing the personal characteristics of men. Results and Discussion. Through the analysis of psycholinguistic and stylistic means of representing the image of a man in Khanty folk and authored tales, it was found that a man is depicted as the head of a large family, a protector, a provider, the master of the house, a fisherman, and a hunter, without whom it would be difficult for a woman with children to survive in the harsh climatic conditions. The Khanty man is endowed with a range of ethnic, social, historical, and geographical characteristics that, on the one hand, are inextricably linked to his language, and on the other, are influenced by psychological manifestations. Conclusion. The scientific article presents, for the first time, a psycholinguistic analysis of the personal characteristics of the collective image of a man in Khanty folk tales through the creation of a character-centric portrait of an artistic figure as an object of artistic discourse. The research results contribute to the field by applying an integrated approach to the historical-linguistic study of the male image in Khanty tales from the perspectives of psycholinguistics and literary studies. The psycholinguistic analysis of the personal characteristics of the collective male image in Khanty folk tales allowed for the creation of a character-centric portrait of a figure as an object of artistic discourse, endowed with unique qualities.