The Role of Nominal Parts of Speech in Forming Scientific Concepts in K. Satbayev’s Algebra Textbook

Abstract

Early Kazakh-language textbooks provide material for examining how scientific concepts are expressed and how they function in written discourse. This article aims to identify the roles of nouns, adjectives, numerals, and pronouns in forming and explaining mathematical concepts in K. Satbayev’s Algebra textbook. The study draws on examples from definitions, rules, problem statements, and solutions. These examples were examined qualitatively using descriptive, semantic, word-formation, contextual, and comparative methods. The conclusions are based on selected examples; the frequency of parts of speech throughout the textbook was not examined.

The analysis shows that nouns name mathematical objects, operations, and their results, while their plural, possessive, and case forms specify relationships between concepts. Adjectives classify objects by their properties and express comparisons. Numerals specify quantity, the composition of expressions, and sequence. Pronouns refer to previously described objects or conditions and connect them to subsequent explanations. The mathematical meanings of forms such as бір (“one”), белгісіз (“unknown”), екіден (“by two”), and өзі (“itself”) depend on their use in context. The study’s contribution lies in describing how these parts of speech work together within mathematical reasoning in an educational text. The findings can inform research on the history of Kazakh scientific language, the preparation of explanations of historical mathematical terms, and the teaching of the linguistic structure of subject-specific texts.