The female image of “kadyn” in the linguistic worldview of the Tuvans: traditions and modernity

The aim of the research is to identify the semantic transformations of the image of “kadyn” (woman) in the linguistic worldview of the Tuvans – from ancient folklore representations to literature and modern reality. The scientific novelty of the research is due to the fact that for the first time in Tuvan linguistics, the semantic transformations of the female epic image are revealed, starting from archaic folklore prototypes and ending with its reflection in modern realities. In the popular imagination of the Tuvans, “kadyn” appears as the ideal of a wise and strong woman, a helper and advisor to her husband. Her extraordinary wisdom serves as a source of inspiration for the main epic and fairy-tale heroes, even though she remains in the background of her husband's great achievements. Thus, in the texts of heroic sagas, during the irreconcilable battles of the hero for his land and people, “kadyn” appears as his faithful ally and even his savior. Despite the predominantly positive assessment of the image of “kadyn”, in some works of folklore, it is associated with the manifestation of negative female qualities – treachery and cunning. The results showed that the popular ideal of a strong and wise woman, wife, and mother, embodied in the folklore image of “kadyn”, is preserved in today's ideas about female greatness and femininity among speakers of the Tuvan linguistic culture. This is confirmed in the texts of Tuvan literature, the results of an associative experiment, and observations of today's life.