Folk laughter in the Yakut heroic epic-olonkho

this article explores the comic element in the epic style of the Yakut heroic epic olonkho, a little-studied area of olonkho studies. As the pinnacle of oral folklore, the Yakut olonkho preserves universal knowledge and the deepest emotional experiences of the people. The aim of this paper is to examine the problem of folk laughter in olonkho, identifying its functional, structural, and semantic features, as well as linguistic means of expression. The material used is the texts of major epics, containing descriptions of comic events, laughter-provoking characters, circumstances, humorous situations, and representative linguistic devices. The methodology draws on the fundamental works of researchers and utilizes a variety of approaches to analyzing the material. The scientific novelty of this work lies in its examination of folk laughter in olonkho as a traditional component of epic stylistics, yet largely determined by the skill of the storyteller. The study identified the structural and semantic components and functional characteristics of folk laughter in olonkho and demonstrated the linguistic techniques for conveying the comical used by famous storytellers. It was revealed that laughter in olonkho, conditioned by its ethnocultural content, has a variety of nuances, from subtle irony and humor to grotesque satire, and, as a unique component of epic poetics, is organically woven into the fabric of the narrative. The article draws on new information to develop a theory of laughter in Yakut oral folklore and also explores the prospects for a more in-depth study of the comic element in the epic heritage of peoples around the world.

olonkho epic, folk laughter, function, structure, semantics, means of expression, storyteller