Abstract
<jats:p>In a multilingual urban environment, the acquisition of national and cultural lexical units of the native language by Kazakh-speaking children is an important condition for their linguistic development and the preservation of their cultural identity. The purpose of this article is to determine the semantic nature, cognitive significance, and educational function of national and cultural lexical units (ethnolexicon) that influence the linguistic development of monolingual Kazakh children growing up in a multilingual urban environment. In addition, the article proposes effective teaching methods and techniques for facilitating the acquisition of ethnolexicon in the classroom, enabling the full formation of these concepts in children's cognition and consciousness. The content of the article highlights the importance of transmitting national values through language in a multilingual society. The study employed semantic, associative, and pragmatic analysis methods. The ethnolexical units selected for analysis include aq üy, qara qazan, erulik, toqymqağar, bäsire, baýğazy, and itquyryq. Semantic analysis demonstrated that these lexical items possess multilayered national and cultural meanings. Associative analysis revealed that these words evoke traditional concepts and positive cultural images in children's minds. Pragmatic analysis showed that these ethnolexical units perform an educational function in linguistic communication, allowing national values and cultural codes to be transmitted to children through everyday social practices. The findings can be applied in the teaching of the Kazakh language as well as in the fields of ethnopedagogy and linguocultural studies. The scientific significance of this research lies in its comprehensive examination of the role of ethnolexicon in shaping children’s national and cultural awareness in a multilingual environment from the perspectives of ontolinguistics, ethnolinguistics, and psycholinguistics. The study also proposes effective methods for integrating ethnolexicon into the educational process. The article makes both theoretical and methodological contributions to the fields of ontolinguistics, ethnolinguistics, linguocultural studies, ethnopedagogy, and psycholinguistics. The results demonstrate that ethnolexicon contributes to the formation of national and cultural immunity among children in multilingual contexts. This conclusion emphasizes the importance of systematically incorporating ethnolexical units into the educational process in order to transmit national values to younger generations in multilingual societies. Thus, the acquisition of national and cultural lexical units of the native language by Kazakh-speaking children growing up in multilingual urban environments plays a significant role in preserving both their linguistic development and cultural identity.</jats:p>