SIGNAL NOUNS: A STUDY BASED ON THE CORPUS OF ACADEMIC KAZAKH LANGUAGE

Abstract

The article considers signal words, including signal nouns. Other word classes perform the function of signaling, although nouns are more often used in this function in academic discourse. Therefore, signal nouns were chosen as the object of study.

The purpose of the study is to identify signal nouns found in Kazakh academic discourse and to reveal their functional features by determining their frequency of use and collocations. Signal words, including signal nouns, have not been studied in Kazakh linguistics. The importance of our study lies in the fact that it is the first study of this phenomenon based on a corpus created from written academic texts in the Kazakh language.

The study is conducted using the corpus-based research method. This method is effective in determining the frequency of use and collocations of signal nouns, as well as in conducting quantitative and qualitative analyses of them. The AntConc corpus software is used in the study.

The study revealed that signal nouns play an important role in forming logical connections and structural unity within the text. The frequency of occurrence, semantic and functional features of signal nouns and their functions in organizing academic discourse were analyzed on the basis of the academic corpus. The study identified collocations of signal nouns and illustrated them with examples of texts taken from the corpus. The results of the study proved that signal nouns are an important lexical tool in creating semantic integrity between sentences and cohesion in academic discourse.

The theoretical significance of the study lies in the fact that it is an empirical study based on the corpus. This is important in revealing the functional features of language elements based on the materials of natural use of language. The theoretical and practical results of the study can be used in the study of academic discourse, in teaching and learning academic language.