Defense of the dissertation of CHylakova Zijada for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) under the educational program «8D02305 - Рhilology»

At the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, a dissertation defense for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) by CHylakova Zijada on the topic ««Branding in Kazakhstan: the linguistic basis of product name formation»» to the educational program «8D02305 – Рhilology».

The dissertation was carried out at the «Theoretical and Applied Linguistics education department» of L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University.

The language of defense is russian

Official reviewers:

Bochina Tatiana Gennadievna - Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor of the Department of Linguistic Education for Foreign Students at Kazan Federal University (Kazan, Russian Federation).

Temirova Zhanna Germanovna– Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Associate Professor of the Department of General Linguistics and Literature, Kokshetau University named after Sh. Ualikhanov (Kokshetau, Republic of Kazakhstan).

Temporary members of the Dissertation Council:

–  Fedyaeva Natalia Dmitriyevna – Doctor of Philological Sciences,  Associate Professor of the Department of Russian Language and Lingvodidactics, Dean of the Philological Faculty at Omsk State Pedagogical University.

– Ibrayeva Zhanar Kulmatovna – Doctor of Philology, Associate Professor of the Department of Turkology and Language Theory at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan).

Shakenova Maigul Tulegenovna– Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Russian Language and Literature at M. Auezov South Kazakhstan University (Shymkent, Republic of Kazakhstan).

Scientific advisors:

– Zhuravleva Yevgeniya Aleksandrovna – Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan);

– Issers Oksana Sergeevna – Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor at the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics at Omsk State University (Omsk, Russian Federation).

The defense will take place on May 26, 2026, at 11:00 AM in the Dissertation Council for the training direction «8D023 – Languages and literature» in the educational program «8D02305 – Рhilology» of L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University. The Dissertation Council meeting will be held offline and online.

Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/45755417022188?p=JdmsTeKhHLonFelO9s 

Address: Astana, K. Satpayev St., 2, Room 101.

Abstract (English): The dissertation by Chulakova Ziyada Utemisovna on the topic “Branding in Kazakhstan: the linguistic basis of product name formation” has been prepared for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the educational program 8D02305 – Phylology. ABSTRACT General characteristics of the study. Branding issues are highly significant for contemporary society, and in the context of the globalization of worldwide processes their importance is steadily increasing, which, in turn, enhances the relevance of their scholarly investigation. The semantic essence of a product name, in its linguistic interpretation, symbolizes trust, stability, recognition, and a certain set of expectations for society. Brands occupy a firmly established place in the functional organization of social consciousness, evoking a unified set of associations and a holistic image. The brand image is formed in the consumer’s mind and relies primarily on the brand name, which serves as the most visible link between the product and the consumer: in a single word or short phrase, information about the brand’s origin, quality, value orientations, and underlying philosophy is concentrated. The relevance of the study is determined by the growth in the number of Kazakhstani brands and the intensification of competition in domestic and global markets, coupled with the insufficient description of commercial naming processes and the need for a systematic analysis of the linguistic mechanisms involved in product name formation in the Kazakhstani context, where different languages and cultural codes coexist and interact. Despite the strong interest in branding in related disciplines such as marketing, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and cultural studies, the linguistic interpretation of this phenomenon in Kazakhstani scholarship has so far remained fragmentary. The object of the study is brand discourse, examined within the framework of modern theory of nomination. The subject of the study is the ways of forming the names of Kazakhstani brands (their principles, lexico-semantic and word-formation models), as well as the representation of national and cultural specificity in these names. The aim of this study is to provide a linguistic interpretation and analysis of the process of forming the names of Kazakhstani brands. To achieve this aim, the following objectives are set: 1. To review and classify the main concepts of branding presented in the works of foreign and Kazakhstani researchers. 2. To analyze global trends and linguistic models of brand formation, taking into account the legal regulation of branding processes in Kazakhstan and other countries. 3. To identify the systemic linguistic mechanisms underlying the creation of brand names in Kazakhstan, using the names of four product categories (alcohol, dairy products, flour products, clothing) as empirical material. 4. To determine the factors of attractiveness, associative value, and success of Kazakhstani brand names on the basis of a questionnaire survey. 5. To identify the specifically Kazakhstani features in brand names and to characterize the national component in the branding of widely known domestic products. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the comprehensive description of Kazakhstani branding as a specific branch of contemporary theory of nomination. Based on four product categories, the principles and linguistic mechanisms of brand name formation (including their lexico-semantic and word-formation models) are for the first time systematically identified and described; the dependence of their perception on industry-specific factors is demonstrated, and the national component is characterized as a representation of the cultural code, multilingualism, and contemporary Kazakhstani identity. The theoretical and methodological framework of the study is based on the works of leading foreign and Kazakhstani scholars in the field of theory of nomination and onomastics (E.S. Kubryakova, V.N. Teliya, A.V. Superanskaya, A.A. Ufimtseva, N.D. Golev, M.V. Golomidova, N.V. Podolskaya); commercial nomination and naming (M.E. Novichikhina, I.P. Romashova, N.A. Stadulskaya, P.A. Siganova, E.Yu. Pozdnyakova, M. Danesi, E.A. Zhuravleva, G.S. Isaeva); cognitive linguistics, lexical semantics, and linguoculturology (E.S. Kubryakova, V.N. Teliya, E.M. Vereschagin, V.G. Kostomarov, G.V. Kolshansky, G. Lakoff, E.M. Wolf, V.V. Krasnykh, Zh.A. Dzhambaeva); pragmalinguistics and theory of speech influence (N.D. Arutyunova, O.S. Issers, E.A. Davydenco, N.A. Chudaevа); semiotics and theory of culture (Yu.M. Lotman, R. Barthes, M. Danesi); theory of branding and marketing communications (D. Aaker, K.L. Keller, F. Kotler, P. Temporal, J.-N. Kapferer, G.N. Povalyashko, A.R. Khazbulatov, B.A. Akhatova, K. Pavlenko, L.S. Akmetova, S.S. Akmetov, M.R. Smykova), which ensured an interdisciplinary analysis of the brand name as a special type of onym, a tool of brand communication, and a representative of the cultural code. Methods and techniques of research. In accomplishing the research objectives, both general scientific and specifically linguistic methods were employed: systematization and generalization, descriptive method, componential and structural-semantic analysis, word-formation analysis, discourse and comparative analysis, as well as the sociolinguistic method of questionnaire survey and statistical processing of empirical data. The multi-aspect nature of the research subject – the brand name as a linguistic sign, an element of brand discourse, and a marker of national identity – necessitated the use of a comprehensive methodology. The descriptive method and systematization techniques facilitated the inventorying and primary classification of 1494 names of Kazakhstani brands across four product categories. Componential, structural-semantic, and word-formation analysis enabled the identification of lexico-semantic groups and word-formation models. Discourse and comparative analysis were applied to interpret brand names within the context of Kazakhstani and global brand space, to establish the ratio of unification and localization processes, and to describe the representation of the national-cultural code. The sociolinguistic method of questionnaire survey and subsequent statistical processing of responses from 251 respondents allowed for correlating the linguistic characteristics of brand names with the features of their actual perception and evaluation by consumers. The empirical base of the research consists of 1,494 brand names from four key sectors of the national economy: 748 alcohol brand names (data from the Bureau of National Statistics of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan: https://stat.gov.kz/ and the Monitoring Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan: http://energyprom.kz/); 152 dairy product brand names (data from the Main Agrarian Information Portal of the Republic of Kazakhstan: ElDala.kz and the website of the Republican Chamber of Dairy and Crossbred Cattle: https://qazaqsut.kz/); 126 flour product brand names (data from the Monitoring Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan: http://energyprom.kz/ and the website of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan: https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/moa); and 468 clothing brand names from Kazakhstani manufacturers (data from the Ministry of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan: https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mps, BusinesStat. Analysis of the clothing market in Kazakhstan for 2019-2023, forecast for 2024-2028: https://businesstat.ru/news/ and the Roadmap for the Development of Light Industry in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2022-2025: https://online.zakon.kz/Document/?doc_id=31824207). All the specified data were additionally verified using reports from the website of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Atameken": https://atameken.kz/. Additionally, the empirical data include responses from 251 respondents to the sociolinguistic questionnaire, enabling a comparison of the structural-semantic characteristics of brand names with their actual perception by consumers. The theoretical significance of the research lies in the further development of contemporary theories of nomination and commercial onomastics. The study positions branding as a distinct branch of commercial nomination, proposes a systematic model for describing the linguistic mechanisms of forming Kazakhstani brand names (principles, lexico-semantic, and word-formation strategies), and substantiates the national component in naming as a key source of data on the cultural code and the formation of a new Kazakhstani identity. The practical significance of the research lies in the potential use of its results in developing and conducting linguistic expertise of Kazakhstani brand names in marketing, advertising, and legal practice (including in the field of legal protection of trademarks), as well as in creating and updating educational courses on linguistics, onomastics, intercultural communication, and branding aimed at forming effective and nationally marked brand names. Main provisions of the dissertation submitted for defense: 1. Concepts of conceptualizing branding as a new nomination process by foreign scholars abroad represent a complex transition from marketing to interdisciplinary research, incorporating cognitive and sociolinguistic approaches. Concepts of branding in the works of Russian scholars cover the analysis of brand discourse as a whole and the linguistic nature of the brand name in particular. Against this theoretical background, the dissertation for the first time on Kazakhstani material identifies and describes the linguistic mechanisms of commercial nomination (principles of formation, lexico-semantic and word-formation models of brand names), demonstrates their correlation with global trends of unification/localization, and substantiates the status of the Kazakhstani brand name as an independent object of linguistic analysis within the system of contemporary nomination theory. 2. Global trends and linguistic models of branding, including those found in Kazakhstan, are characterized by a combination of unification and localization, which makes it possible to view the brand name as the result of an interaction between a “field of meaning” and a “field of naming”, as well as an object whose functioning is regulated by national and international trademark protection instruments. Kazakhstani brand names generally conform to these trends, while at the same time displaying a marked national specificity that is evident at all stages and levels of the naming process. 3. The systemic linguistic mechanisms underlying the creation of brand names in Kazakhstan, as revealed through a detailed analysis of four product categories (alcohol, dairy products, flour products, and clothing), constitute a multi level complex of linguistic modelling based on the interaction of anthropological, attributive, and locative principles of nomination. These mechanisms are realized in a wide range of lexico semantic and word formation strategies that ensure the integration of the identifying, evaluative, and culturally marking functions of the brand name. 4. The significance, attractiveness, and success of a brand name for Kazakhstani consumers, as determined by the results of the questionnaire survey, depend on the sphere of consumption and type of product. In traditional segments (alcohol, flour products, dairy products), functional parameters (quality, price, habit) play the decisive role, with the brand name coming second. By contrast, in sectors related to self-presentation and lifestyle (primarily clothing), the brand name emerges as an independent factor of attractiveness, shaping the associative background and enhancing the sense of belonging to a particular social and cultural group. 5. The specificity of the national component in Kazakhstani brand names manifests itself in a complex interplay of linguistic, cultural, and value codes that reflect the interaction between tradition and modernity, the local and the global. Brand names, which represent products in both verbal and non-verbal forms, not only embody national symbols, cultural memory, and ethno-cultural stereotypes, but also capture societal demands—for self-identification, the growth of national consciousness, and the assertion of Kazakhstan's cultural uniqueness. This allows brand discourse in the country to be regarded as a significant tool for expressing and constructing Kazakhstani identity both in domestic and external markets. Approbation of the research results. The research results have been disseminated through 12 publications on the topic of the dissertation, including 1 article published in a journal indexed in the Scopus database (Q2), 3 articles in journals included in the list recommended by the Committee for Quality Assurance in Science and Higher Education of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and 8 publications in the proceedings of international conferences indexed in the Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI). Structure of the dissertation. The dissertation consists of an introduction, three chapters, a conclusion, and a list of references. The work includes illustrations in the form of 37 figures and 4 tables.

Dissertation

List of Scientific Works

Consultant's Review

Foreign Consultant's Review

Conclusion of the Research Ethics Committee