Linguopragmatic functions of periphrases in mass media discourse in English and Uzbek: a comparative analysis
Abstract
This article presents a comparative linguopragmatic analysis of periphrases used in English and Uzbek mass media (MM) discourse. The study examines periphrasis not only as a stylistic device but also as a pragmatic tool: how it performs various communicative functions in media texts, influences audience perception, and relates to cultural context. The research methodology includes critical discourse analysis, comparative analysis, and a linguopragmatic approach. The material is based on a corpus compiled from online publications and newspaper articles in English and Uzbek from 2020–2025. The findings indicate that periphrases perform the following main functions in media texts: evaluative (evaluation), euphemistic (mitigation), expressive (enhancing imagery), and informative (conveying cultural-historical meaning). In English media discourse, periphrases more often serve political correctness, irony, and individual evaluation, whereas in Uzbek texts they are oriented toward preserving national cultural values, respect, collective identity, and ethical norms. These differences confirm the mutual influence of language and culture. The results help identify similarities and differences in the use of periphrasis in English and Uzbek media discourse and contribute to the fields of comparative linguistics and intercultural communication.
Keywords:
Periphrasis linguopragmatics mass media discourse media linguistics comparative analysis euphemism evaluation cultural adaptationReferences
Abdullayeva, Z. D. (2024). Periphrase the names of persons in the Uzbek language expression in a stylistic means. Western European Journal of Linguistics and Education, 2(9), 15–19.
Beard, A. (2000). The language of politics. Routledge.
Bednarek, M. (2006). Evaluation in media discourse: Analysis of a newspaper corpus. Continuum.
Bulakh, M. (2017). Periphrasis in the architectonics of media text. Current Issues of Ukrainian Linguistics: Theory and Practice, 34, 39–50. https://doi.org/10.17721/APULTP.2017.34.39-50
Fairclough, N. (1995). Media discourse. Edward Arnold.
Isakova, D. F. (2025). Interplay between the language of media and phraseology: A comparative view of English and Uzbek contexts. International Journal of Medical Sciences, 3(10), 474–480.
Kobilova, A. B., & Burieva, G. (2023). Lingua-cultural analysis of periphrasis in English journalistic texts. International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics, 2(6), 69–73. https://doi.org/10.51699/ijllal.v2i6.2047
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. University of Chicago Press.
Onyshchenko, I. V. (2010). Features of periphrasis functioning as an expression of evaluation in modern journalistic and informational texts. Philological Studies: Scientific Bulletin of Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University, 5, 193–200. https://doi.org/10.31812/filstd.v5i0.908
Polovina, L. V. (2023). The phenomenon of periphrasis in modern Russian language. JournalNX: A Multidisciplinary Peer Reviewed Journal, 9(2), 94–98. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/93WZ5
Vafoyeva, M. R. (2025). Analysis of linguopragmatic features of periphrases in English journalistic speech. Pedagogik Tadqiqotlar Jurnali, 3(1), 112–118.
Wodak, R., & Meyer, M. (2009). Methods of critical discourse analysis (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Yule, G. (2020). The study of language (7th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Published
Downloads
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Shaxnoza Primkulovna Allayorova
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent city, 
+998 93 097 75 88