Turkic Language Speakers’ Perception of Toponyms as Cultural Heritage in the National Epos “Edige”

The purpose of the present study is to examine the attitudes of modern native speakers of Turkic languages to the role of place names used in national folklore in preserving their nations’ cultural heritage. This mixed-methods study is based on a specially developed questionnaire to provide quantitative and qualitative data on student youth’s perceptions of toponyms as carriers of cultural heritage in a famous epic poem, which has many versions in different Turkic languages. The participants of the investigation are 214 undergraduate students majoring in Pedagogy and Philology at universities located in Kazakhstan, Tatarstan and Karakalpakstan. The results of the study show that, although toponyms from the epic poem “Edige” are not widely used either in official documents or in everyday situations, they still perform an essential function in preserving the historical and cultural heritage of the Turkic peoples. Through place names, students relate to locations that are historically and culturally important, and the knowledge of their origins and meanings is maintained by means of national folklore. Based on the responses of modern speakers of such Turkic languages as Kazakh, Tatar and Karakalpak, we conclude that the knowledge of place names in epic literature contributes to the collective memory about certain places and passing it down through generations.

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