The Authorial Image and Stylization in Contemporary (2012-2023) Kazakh Short Stories: A Linguostylistic Analysis

Abstract

In linguistic analysis, literary discourse is regarded as a domain that reveals the developmental potential and trajectory of a national language. An author’s style is not merely a reflection of the use of established linguistic norms; rather, it functions as an influential model that revitalizes, consolidates, or transforms those norms. Through lexical choice, syntagmatic construction, the conventionalization of figurative units, and the formation of new semantic nuances, a literary text actively affects the normative character of the national language. The article examines the construction of the authorial image and the mechanisms of stylization in contemporary Kazakh short stories, drawing on the linguostylistic analysis model developed by Rabiga Syzdyk. In accordance with the theoretical framework of the study, the authorial image is not equal with the writer’s biographical persona; instead, it is conceptualized as a category reconstructed from the internal organization of the text, narrative perspectives, evaluative and modal nuances, and the dominant use of expressive means. The empirical corpus of this research consists of Kazakh short stories published between 2012 and 2023. The texts were selected from Qazaq adebieti and other literary portals and were analyzed regarding their intrageneric differentiation (psychological, philosophical, allegorical, mystical, socio-domestic, etc.). The article contributes to the development of studies on the authorial image, stylization, and the transformation of stylistic norms by introducing materials from the Turkic languages into international scholarly discourse.