THE CONTEXTUAL ROLE OF GENDER TABOOS AND EUPHEMISMS IN SHAPING THE MEANING OF SIGNS IN KAZAKH AND ENGLISH CULTURES

Abstract

This article examines the semiotic and communicative nature of gender taboos and euphemisms in Kazakh and English in a comparative context. The study argues that euphemisms represent a context-dependent semiotic mechanism for creating meaning. The semantic structure of euphemisms in Kazakh and English is determined by the cultural and social context in which they are used. The comparative analysis revealed that euphemisms in Kazakh aim to maintain collective morality, whereas in English, they aim to protect individual autonomy.

The relevance of the study is explained by the acceleration of globalisation, the transformation of gender norms, and the risk of misinterpreting euphemisms in intercultural communication. The main scientific problem of the study is to determine the patterns of the meaning formation of euphemisms and taboos not in the internal semantics of the word, but in the cultural and social context in which they are used, and the role of the gender factor in this process. The aim of the study is to identify the semiotic foundations of taboo and euphemism in Kazakh and English linguocultures and to analyse them comparatively. The theoretical basis of the study is drawn from semiotic and gender-linguistic concepts established in the international scientific discourse. These concepts are linked to the Kazakh linguo-cultural tradition, which views gendered language use as a socio-cultural phenomenon.

Methodologically, the study is based on qualitative comparative analysis. The research involves a semiotic, linguocultural and discursive analysis of phraseology, euphemisms and texts in Kazakh and English. This analysis reveals that in Kazakh, euphemisms are aimed at preserving collective morality and social hierarchy, whereas in English, they are directed towards protecting personal autonomy and communicative comfort. The study proposes considering euphemism as a dynamic semiotic system that encodes gender relations.

The research findings allow for the consideration of taboo words and euphemisms as a dynamic system of signs that regulates moral conduct and structures gender relations in different cultures, at the intersection of the fields of semiotics and gender linguistics.