ON SYNONYMS IN THE EPIC TALES OF THE OKHOTSK EVENS

Background. The Even language is among the endangered languages. The situation requires comprehensive research, recording and documentation of the Even language and culture. The research of the synonymic relations in the Even language will show the lexical-semantic development of the Even word, the stylistic features of the language. Purpose. The article is devoted to the study of synonyms in the Even folk texts. Materials and methods. Epic tales of the Evens of Okhotsk are used as a source of research. The main method of research is the descriptive one along with semantic analysis and elicitation methods. Results. The collected lexical material, distributed according to the parts of speech, reveals a numerical superiority of verbal synonyms in comparison with other groups of words. In the texts of the narrator N.G Mokrousov. synonyms serve as expressive means, have expressive load, are used in the description of the various phenomena, properties, actions, are applied with a view of preservation of a rhythm of singing. Frequent synonyms are recorded in the work. Practical implications. The results of the work can be applied in studies on the language and folklore of the Tungus-Manchur peoples.