A case study of linguistic parallelism in Sakha epos

Abstract

The article discusses the linguistic phenomenon of syntactic parallelism, which has prevalent occurrence in the epic poetry of the Sakha (Yakut) people. Although numerous studies on the language and poetics of Olonkho are available, this particular topic still remains largely understudied from a purely linguistic point of view. The article presents an attempt to fill in this lacuna. In order to achieve this goal, it presents a detailed case study of the occurrence and usage of syntactic parallelism in Innokentij Timofeev-Teploukhov’s Olonkho Kuruubaj Xaannaax Kulun Kullustuur “Badtempered Coltishly Frolicsome Hero” which is the first Olonkho recorded in a versified form. A detailed study of this Olonkho allows us to reveal and identify the main features of this striking phenomenon and organize them in a systematic way. In addition, some tentative reasons behind the emergence of this phenomenon in relation to oral epic tradition are offered.