FOLKLORE FORMULAS

FOLKLORE FORMULAS a r e t r a d i t i o n a l, stable, rhythmically ordered verbal constructions. F.f. as one of the characteristic features of folklore poetics is one of the main basis of tradition. It is a complete judgement. There are different F.f.: 1) initial (beginnings), e.g.: “I start the bayt with the word “bismalla”, “In one kingdom far away...”, the sayings, such as “Once upon a time...”, “A long-long time ago...”, etc.; 2) medial, e.g., formulas of the batyrs and bogatyrs growth: “He was growing by leaps and bounds”, etc.; 3) Final, e.g., traditional fairytale endings: “My fairytale goes further, but I stop here”, “And they lived happily ever after”, etc. They are used in many works and many genres, e.g. the dialogue formula of the adversaries in an epic and a fairytale: “Fight or archery?”. F.f. help to memorize the folklore text and make transitions as a folklore tradition.

G.R. Khusainova