Performative-functional typology of rhythm in karakalpak, turkmen, and english children's movement songs

Abdullaeva, Sayyora Pulatovna, Gayliyeva, Ogulbay Kurbanmuradovna

Қўқон ДПИ. Илмий хабарлар · 2026-yil

Annotatsiya

Rhythm in children’s action songs is not merely an external ornament of the poetic text; rather, it is a fundamental means of organizing performance. It serves to initiate the participants’ movements simultaneously, determine the sequence of actions, maintain the tempo, and establish the outcome of the game. Therefore, it is insufficient to describe the rhythm of such songs solely on the basis of the number of syllables or traditional metrical patterns. The scholar S. M. Leyter emphasizes that rhythmic-intonational structure, dialogue, sound play, and chanting are functionally active elements in the poetics of children’s folklore. In particular, in counting-out rhymes, rhythm and stressed pronunciation determine both the genre characteristics and the compositional movement of the text [1, pp. 14–16]. The rhythm of children’s action songs can be examined at four levels: a) speech rhythm – the repetition of stress, syllables, and pauses; b) compositional rhythm – the alternation of lines, repetitions, and episodes; c) movement rhythm – the correspondence between textual units and physical movements; d) performance rhythm – the alternation of solo and group voices, as well as call-and-response patterns. This article analyzes the ways in which rhythm organizes movement in Karakalpak, Turkmen, and English examples through comparative-typological, functional, and structural- poetic approaches. In Karakalpak children’s folklore, rhythm is often formed through the unity of short lines, repetition of verbs, and fixed game movements. In the game «Аттым-баттым»: Аттым-баттым, Қулаттым, Қара жерге Сулаттым... [2, 515–516-б.] (I threw it down, I knocked it down, Onto the black earth I laid it down...) the lines consist of short rhythmic units. The paired unit in the first line creates a two- beat opening. The verbs Қулаттым – сулаттым (I knocked it down – I laid it down), in turn, indicate successive stages of the movement. Short lines enable performers to pronounce the words simultaneously with the movement. Here, rhythm is not limited to describing an event. Each verb becomes a verbal signal for a particular movement. Rapid pronunciation of the text accelerates the movement, whereas a pause creates a boundary between successive stages of action. In «Қуўаламаш», performance rhythm is formed through a question-and-answer exchange between girls and boys: Қыз бала: – Аспандағы не? Ер бала: – Ай! Қыз бала: – Жердеги не? Ер бала: – Сай! [2, 518-б.] (Girl: – What is in the sky? Boy: – The moon! Girl: – What is on the earth? Boy: – A ravine!) The questions are relatively long, whereas the answers consist of one syllable. The alternation of long and short speech units intensifies the tempo of performance. After the short answer, an action such as running away or chasing may begin. Thus, the answer functions not only as the semantic conclusion of the text but also as a signal initiating physical movement. An important characteristic of rhythm in Karakalpak action songs is its regulation of collective movement. It ensures that participants move simultaneously, form a line, run, or move toward a designated direction. From this perspective, the collective and competitive function of rhythm is predominant in Karakalpak game songs. In Turkmen children’s folklore, rhythm is combined with movements such as clapping hands, counting on the fingers, pulling the legs, and passing an object from one participant to another. In the example «Çapak-çapak elleri»: Çapak-çapak elleri, Agyrmasyn gollary, Agyrsa-da agyrsyn, Güýçli bolsun billeri [3, 42-б.] (Clap-clap the hands, May the arms not hurt, Even if they hurt, let them hurt, May the wrists be strong.) the repetition in the first line produces a two-beat rhythmic measure: ça-pak | ça-pak. Each occurrence of the word çapak corresponds to one clap of the hands. The text does not merely name the movement; it also determines its number and tempo. The subsequent references to the hands, wrists, and waist connect the physical movement with a wish for bodily strength. In another version of the song, clapping acquires a national and everyday cultural meaning: Çapak-çapak elleri, Agyrmasyn gollary, Daýysynyň toýunda Çelpek ýaýsyn elleri [3, 42-б.]. (Clap-clap the hands, May the arms not hurt, At her younger sibling’s wedding, May her hands spread the dough.) Here, the present game movement is connected with the child’s future participation in wedding and family-related work. Rhythm simultaneously activates the child physically and expresses a socio-cultural wish. In Turkmen finger-counting rhymes, rhythm is constructed in accordance with the anatomy of the hand: Başam barmak – baş getir, Süýem barmak – süýt getir, Orta barmak – ot getir. Ogulhajat ok atar, Külembike kül atar [3, 41–42-б.]. (Thumb – bring the head, Index finger – bring the milk, Middle finger – bring the fire. Ogulhajat shoots an arrow, Külembike throws the ash.) Each line is associated with a particular finger. The performer moves sequentially from the thumb to the following fingers. The correspondence between the order of the text and the order of the fingers transforms rhythm into a visible and tangible movement. The first three lines are constructed according to the same syntactic pattern: finger name + object + action. The repetition of the verb getir (bring) corresponds to the moment of indicating or bending the next finger. As a result, the word performs the function of a measure of movement. Such performance helps the child simultaneously acquire the names of the fingers, verbal sequence, and order of movement. In English action songs, rhythm is often generated through the repetition of imperative verbs:

Maqola ma’lumotlari
MualliflarAbdullaeva, Sayyora Pulatovna, Gayliyeva, Ogulbay Kurbanmuradovna
JurnalҚўқон ДПИ. Илмий хабарлар
NashriyotҚўқон давлат педагогика институти
ISSN3030-3958
Nashr sanasi2026-10-13
Betlar2-73
TilIngliz
Indeksga qo‘shilgan2026-10-28

Maqolaning asl sahifasi

Kalit so‘zlar

comparative-typological, functional, structural-poetic

Iqtibos keltirish

APAAbdullaeva, Sayyora Pulatovna, & Gayliyeva, Ogulbay Kurbanmuradovna (2026). PERFORMATIVE-FUNCTIONAL TYPOLOGY OF RHYTHM IN KARAKALPAK, TURKMEN, AND ENGLISH CHILDREN'S MOVEMENT SONGS. Қўқон ДПИ. Илмий хабарлар, 2-73. https://journals-kokandsu.uz/index.php/kspi/article/view/7547
GOST (OAK)Abdullaeva, Sayyora Pulatovna, Gayliyeva, Ogulbay Kurbanmuradovna PERFORMATIVE-FUNCTIONAL TYPOLOGY OF RHYTHM IN KARAKALPAK, TURKMEN, AND ENGLISH CHILDREN'S MOVEMENT SONGS // Қўқон ДПИ. Илмий хабарлар. – 2026. – P. 2-73.
MLAAbdullaeva, Sayyora Pulatovna, and Gayliyeva, Ogulbay Kurbanmuradovna. “PERFORMATIVE-FUNCTIONAL TYPOLOGY OF RHYTHM IN KARAKALPAK, TURKMEN, AND ENGLISH CHILDREN'S MOVEMENT SONGS.” Қўқон ДПИ. Илмий хабарлар, 2-73, 2026. https://journals-kokandsu.uz/index.php/kspi/article/view/7547
ChicagoAbdullaeva, Sayyora Pulatovna, and Gayliyeva, Ogulbay Kurbanmuradovna. “PERFORMATIVE-FUNCTIONAL TYPOLOGY OF RHYTHM IN KARAKALPAK, TURKMEN, AND ENGLISH CHILDREN'S MOVEMENT SONGS.” Қўқон ДПИ. Илмий хабарлар, 2-73 (2026). https://journals-kokandsu.uz/index.php/kspi/article/view/7547
HarvardAbdullaeva, Sayyora Pulatovna, and Gayliyeva, Ogulbay Kurbanmuradovna (2026) ‘PERFORMATIVE-FUNCTIONAL TYPOLOGY OF RHYTHM IN KARAKALPAK, TURKMEN, AND ENGLISH CHILDREN'S MOVEMENT SONGS’, Қўқон ДПИ. Илмий хабарлар, 2-73. https://journals-kokandsu.uz/index.php/kspi/article/view/7547
BibTeX
@article{abdullaevasayyorapulatovna2026,
  title = {PERFORMATIVE-FUNCTIONAL TYPOLOGY OF RHYTHM IN KARAKALPAK, TURKMEN, AND ENGLISH CHILDREN'S MOVEMENT SONGS},
  author = {Abdullaeva, Sayyora Pulatovna and Gayliyeva, Ogulbay Kurbanmuradovna},
  journal = {Қўқон ДПИ. Илмий хабарлар},
  year = {2026},
  pages = {2-73},
  url = {https://journals-kokandsu.uz/index.php/kspi/article/view/7547}
}

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