American Journal Of Philological Sciences
133
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue06 2025
PAGE NO.
133-135
10.37547/ajps/Volume05Issue06-37
The Study Of Folklorisms In Uzbek Philology
Saodatkhon Abdujabbor qizi Solijonova
1st-Year Doctoral Candidate (Basic Doctorate), Fergana State University, Uzbekistan
Received:
12 April 2025;
Accepted:
08 May 2025;
Published:
17 June 2025
Abstract:
This article explores the concept of folklorism as a literary and cultural phenomenon, focusing on its
terminological development, typology, and application in Uzbek philology. The term folklorism, first introduced in
the second half of the 19th century by French folklorist Paul Sébillot, refers to folkloric materials that have been
artistically adapted and intentionally incorporated into literary works. Drawing upon the theoretical contributions
of A.N. Chistov and Bahodir Sarimsoqov, this study outlines the distinction between folklore and folklorism,
highlighting the latter as a stylistic and ideological tool in literature. The article emphasizes the importance of
folklorisms in representing national identity, cultural values, and collective mentality, and it discusses the
contributions of Uzbek scholars who have advanced the field. The findings affirm the relevance of folklorism in
contemporary literary studies and its role in preserving ethnocultural heritage.
Keywords:
folklorism; folklore; Uzbek literature; artistic adaptation; stylistics; national identity; oral tradition;
Bahodir Sarimsoqov; cultural heritage; literary representation.
Introduction:
Before the term folklorism was clearly
defined, scholars and writers often referred to folkloric
materials using general terms such as folklore, folkloric
tradition, or folk culture. The concept of folklorism was
introduced in the second half of the 19th century by
French scholar Paul Sébillot, who emphasized the role
of oral folk traditions not only in community life but
also in literature, art, and cultural representation.
This article seeks to clarify the meaning of folklorism
and examine its theoretical foundations, particularly
within the context of Uzbek philology. It focuses on
how folkloric elements
—
such as proverbs, myths,
sayings,
songs,
and
narrative
patterns
—
are
purposefully incorporated into literary texts and
transformed through artistic means. The study also
highlights the stylistic, ideological, and cultural
functions of folklorisms in literary works and their
capacity to express the worldview, values, and national
spirit of a people.
LITERATURE REVIEW
The theoretical foundation for the concept of
folklorism was laid by A.N. Chistov, who described it as
the "second form" of folklore
—
material borrowed
from oral tradition and artistically transformed in a
written literary context. Chistov emphasized that
folklorism is distinct from living folklore in that it
represents a creative reinterpretation, not an organic
expression.
In Uzbek philology, the term was first systematically
used by Bahodir Sarimsoqov, who rejected vague uses
of folklore and folkloric tradition in literary analysis. He
defined folklorism as all folkloric materials that are
consciously integrated into an artistic work and
transformed in accordance with the author’s stylistic
and ideological aims. Sarimsoqov developed a typology
and classification of folklorisms and highlighted their
function as both aesthetic and cultural devices in
literature.
Many Uzbek scholars
—including O. Sobirov, G‘.
Mo‘minov, I. Yormatov, L. Sharipova, X. Doniyorova, M.
Narziqulova, and others
—
have made significant
contributions to the analysis of folklore in literature.
Linguists such as A. Rohataliyev and A. Akhmedova
have further developed the study of folklorisms from a
linguistic and stylistic perspective.
METHODS AND METHODOLOGY
This research is based on a theoretical-descriptive
approach, combining literary and philological analysis
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
134
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
with historical and cultural contextualization. The main
methods include:
•
Comparative textual analysis: examining
differences between original folklore and its literary
adaptations.
•
Typological
classification:
based
on
Sarimsoqov’s models of folk
lorism usage in literature.
•
Stylistic analysis: identifying the rhetorical and
expressive functions of folklorisms.
•
Cultural-semiotic
reading:
interpreting
folklorisms as carriers of national mentality and cultural
memory.
Primary data include scholarly works on Uzbek
literature and philology, and theoretical texts on
folklore and literary stylistics.
THE MAIN PART
Before the term folklorism became firmly established,
concepts such as folklore, folkloric traditions, and
folkloric heritage were often used interchangeably. The
term folklorism was first proposed in the second half of
the 19th century by French folklore historian P. Sébillot,
who examined the role of oral folk art in social life, as
well as its application in culture and the arts [9].
According to folklorist A.N. Chistov, folklorisms
—
referred to as the "second form"
—
encompass all types
of folkloric material that have been consciously
incorporated into a literary work by the author for a
specific purpose and have undergone a degree of
artistic transformation [1, 39].
Folklorism functions as a stylistic device that reflects
the author’s skill, individual style, and creative
originality. Its effective and balanced use in literary
texts requires a high level of cultural knowledge,
literary taste, and artistic sensitivity. If overused or
underused, folklorisms may disrupt the text’s
coherence: excessive use can reduce the work to a
mere “porridge of forcibly inserted proverbs and
sayings,” while insufficient use may result in an overly
dry or lifeless narrative [1, 39].
Folklorisms serve as a mirror that reflects the unique
identity and cultural values of a people. Their study,
analysis, and the creation of reliable scholarly sources
are of great relevance in contemporary research. In
particular, Uzbek philology has seen significant
developments in this area, with numerous studies
dedicated to the investigation of folkloric elements in
literature. Scholars such as O. Sobirov, G‘. Mo‘minov, B.
Sarimsoqov, I. Yormatov, L. Sharipova, X. Doniyorova,
M. Narziqulova, D. Xoliqova, M. Imomkarimova, F.
Qurbonova, and S. Mamayusupova have made
substantial contributions from the field of literary
studies, while linguists such as A. Rohataliyev and A.
Akhmedova have also addressed this topic from a
linguistic perspective.
The term folklorism was first introduced into Uzbek
philological discourse by Bahodir Sarimsoqov, who
rejected the use of generalized terms such as “folklore”
and “folkloric tradition” to describe folkloric elements
in artistic texts. He emphasized that when folkloric
material is consciously introduced by a writer into a
literary work, it should be referred to as folklorism.
Sarimsoqov, both a folklorist and a literary scholar,
focused on the typology, classification, and stylistic
functions of folklorisms. He made a clear distinction
between folklore and folklorism as separate
phenomena. According to him, the use of terms like
“folklore” or “folkloric tradition” to describe such
materials in literary works is overly general, abstract,
and imprecise [2, 125-143]. He wrote:
“Folklore, as an independent art form, possesses its
own natural, creative function and exists in a living,
communal tradition; folklorism, by contrast, refers to
all folkloric material that has been intentionally
incorporated into a literary text by an author and has
undergone artistic adaptation” [5, 39].
In general, the study of folklorisms holds particular
significance in representing the cultural identity,
traditions, and worldview of a people. This is because
the incorporation of oral folk materials into literary
works by writers reflects the national spirit and
collective mentality of the society. Such elements serve
as powerful markers of cultural distinctiveness and play
a vital role in preserving and expressing ethnic and
cultural heritage through literature.
CONCLUSION
The study of folklorisms is essential for understanding
how literature functions as a vessel for cultural memory
and identity. Unlike living folklore, which emerges
organically from oral traditions, folklorism is the
conscious artistic reuse of those traditions by authors,
often adapted to express new ideological or aesthetic
purposes.
As Bahodir Sarimsoqov notes, the use of vague or
generalized terms such as “folklore” does not capture
the specific role of adapted folk material in written
texts. His insistence on the term folklorism has helped
refine literary and philological analysis in Uzbekistan.
By incorporating folk material into literature, writers
not only enrich their texts aesthetically but also anchor
them in the collective experience and national
consciousness of their people. When used skillfully,
folklorisms serve as powerful tools for expressing social
values, emotional depth, and cultural continuity. Their
study remains a vital and evolving field within Uzbek
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
135
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
philology and broader literary scholarship.
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