ISSN: 2306-5737E-ISSN: 2658-4069
Acta Linguistica Petropolitana
Transactions of the Institute for Linguistic Studies
ISSN: 2306-5737E-ISSN: 2658-4069
Acta Linguistica Petropolitana
Transactions of the Institute for Linguistic Studies 

Exclamation formulas in children’s games of hide-and-seek in Mari

DOI:10.30842/alp23065737182118162
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Klyucheva M. A. Churaniya (formuly-vosklitsaniya) v mariyskikh pryatkakh. Acta Linguistica Petropolitana. 2022. 18(2): 118–162.

The article deals with game terminology in Mari. The research is based on a wide range of sources including academic and popular publications on the Mari language, folklore and ethnography texts, archival materials and recent field data, fiction published in Mari, etc. The article discusses about 20 exclamation hide-and-seek formulas from different dialects of Mari. As most of these are not captured by the existing published dictionaries, this research therefore is also a contribution into Mari vocabulary studies. The paper reveals a wide variety of exclamation formulas used in different Mari settlements. Their connection with similar vocabulary in Russian dialects and with the game folklore of the neighboring Turkic and Finno-Ugric peoples (Tatars, Chuvash, Udmurts) is indicative of a high level of linguistic and cultural interaction in the Ural-Volga region. The processes of lexical item borrowing / penetration from other languages are often accompanied by semantic bleaching, typical of child language and game folklore. The paper also shows that exclamation formulas in hide-and-seek in Mari usually contain a component representing a name for a stick or an onomatopoeic expression for knocking. Previously, similar observations were made for Russian material. This typological feature of exclamations is a reflection of the evolution of the game procedure: while no stick is used in hide-and-seek today (for example, in city or in-house environments), the reference to a stick is still found in the formulae. Less often, Mari exclamations contain a derogatory name for the loser. Exclamation formulas are actively used in word-derivation and can serve as a base for game names, for the name of ‘the odd man out’ or his/her actions during the game, for game loci or for objects used in games, or for specific local names for “hide-and-seek” games. It is necessary to continue research into game terminology in the native languages of Russia. At present, of particular relevance are large-scale field studies involving recording and documentation of folk game vocabulary.

Keywords
child language, dialectism, folk games, game folklore, languages in contact, Mari language, regional vocabulary, desemantisation
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Keywords
child language, dialectism, folk games, game folklore, languages in contact, Mari language, regional vocabulary, desemantisation
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