The representation of hospitality in English and Uzbek: A Comparative Linguocultural Analysis

Abstract

This article compares the way hospitality is expressed in English and Uzbek from a linguocultural perspective. Attention is given to dictionary meanings, proverbs, conventional expressions, and common host-guest situations. The comparison shows that hospitality and mehmondo‘stlik share a core meaning of welcome and care, but the cultural emphasis is not identical. Uzbek material gives a prominent place to respect for the guest, active service by the host, food sharing, kind speech, and the symbolic role of the dasturxon. English material also values generosity and a warm reception, while many expressions and proverbs make personal choice, visit duration, and the guest’s responsibility not to impose more explicit. These tendencies are discussed without treating them as fixed national rules. Particular attention is paid to invitation, refusal, repeated offering, and leave-taking because these acts often reveal pragmatic differences more clearly than isolated vocabulary. The article also considers the relevance of these differences for translation and for teaching English to Uzbek learners.