THE AYTIS GENRE IN KARAKALPAK FOLKLORISTICS: ITS TYPES AND CLASSIFICATION
Keywords:
aytıs, folkloristics, genre, juwap, girl-boy aytısAbstract
The article examines aytıs, one of the best-developed genres of Karakalpak oral creativity,
from the standpoint of folkloristics. It analyses scholarly definitions of the term, the place of the
genre in folklore and written literature, its internal types (the aytıs of sheshens, or orators; the girlboy
aytıs, also called juwap; and the aytıs of poets) and the classificatory features of each. The
three kinds of juwap (simple juwap, juwap of permission and aytıs juwap) are described, and the
aytıs of poets is illustrated with well-documented examples: Ájiniyaz and Qız Meńesh, Berdaq and
Ótesh, Qulımbet and Ábiwbákir, and Sadıq and Ram. The article also shows the improvisational
nature of aytıs, its dependence on a particular situation and its change in response to the demands
of the age. Its results may be used in preparing teaching and methodological literature in
folkloristics and in teaching the aytıs genre in higher education.
References
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