The typology of shamanic intonation of the Chalkans and the role of signal intonation in the ritual of a catching soul

The author focuses on the shamanic ritual of a catching soul, recorded from the hereditary Chal-kan shamaness A. K. Abasheva. Using the methodology of V. V. Mazepus, the typology of shamanic intonation is undertaken. In the course of analysis seven intonation types significant for the ritual are revealed. They are: signal, signal-vocal, vocal-signal, vocal-speech, speech, toned speech and speech-signal. These intonation types are in the complex hierarchical relationships. The first three types are the main ones, and they form the first hierarchical level of the system. The next four types are subordinates ones, and they form the second and the third hierarchical levels of the whole system. Thus, the speech-signal type is subordinated to the vocal-speech, and the latter is subordinated to the vocal-signal. Both speech and toned speech are subordinated to the vocal-speech directly. Signal and signal-vocal types are independent and they don't have subordinated types. The ritual of a catching soul consists of two parts, and the signal intonation is the main intonation type in both of them. It manifests itself as a marker of shamanic intonation in the intonation cultures of other ethnic groups also. For example, this intonation type is important for the shamanic intonation of the Shors. In the Chalkan text signal intonation is represented by a wide range of phenomena. This intonation type penetrates the musical text. It reveals itself in such forms as the specific shamanic cough, vibrato on long sounds, all sorts of cries and a large number of onomatopoeia. The distinctive feature of the signal intonation is a difficulty of semantic interpretation, because it is rarely combined with a verbal text. The analysis of the Chalkan shamanic text of a catching soul showed, that the signal intonation is directly linked with the stages of the altered state of conciseness of the shamaness. The signal intonation type is most intensively revealed in the middle sections of the both parts of the ritual, where the shamanic trance has the strongest manifestation. In the second part of the ritual that is during the shamanic journey the signal intonation has its largest distribution. Here many new onomatopoeia appear, and the key moment - catching the patient's soul - is also marked by a signal intonation. Besides, this intonation type appears in the shamanic text not only in pure form but also affects other intonation types. It may be combined with them in hybrid forms, such as vocal-signal, speech-signal intonation types. This fact proves the G. Sychenko's hypothesis that signal intonation is a marker of this grammatical stratum of the intonational culture.

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