UDMURTS’ TRADITIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE BOOK AND THE WRITING SYSTEM Cover Image

КНИГА И ПИСЬМЕННОСТЬ В ТРАДИЦИОННЫХ ПРЕДСТАВЛЕНИЯХ УДМУРТОВ
UDMURTS’ TRADITIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE BOOK AND THE WRITING SYSTEM

Author(s): Alevtina Vasilievna Kamitova
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies
Published by: Петрозаводский государственный университет
Keywords: book; writing system; sign; tamga; Udmurts’ traditional views; Udmurt legends

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses the problem of the Udmurts’ traditional understanding of the book and the writing system. A unique typologyof the plot was revealed based on the comparative analysis results of the folklore materials recorded by the researchers of the 19thcentury. Similar texts devoted to the issue of the book and the writing system were found in the folklore materials belonging to Chuvash,Mari, and Yakut nations. The similarity of the plots, containing the Udmurt legends, can hypothetically be explained by commonhistorical and ethnic processes. Special attention is paid to the information on tamga signs. Ethnographic and folklore-historicalaspects of the signs’ existence were reviewed. On the basis of the conducted analysis the author came to a conclusion that at certainhistorical moments, which became critical in the lives of the people, the myths and legends sharing common plot-image outline couldhave been created. The problem in focus is not completely studied and this fact provides further opportunities for new discoveries.

Toggle Accessibility Mode