Contrastive Analysis of Metaphorical Expressions in English and Uzbek Proverbs

Abstract

This article examines metaphorical expressions in English and Uzbek proverbs from a contrastive linguistic perspective. The study treats proverbs as culturally marked units that preserve collective experience in compact figurative form. Drawing on the conceptual theory of metaphor and on paremiological research, the article analyzes representative English and Uzbek proverbs in order to identify their dominant source domains, semantic functions, and cultural implications. The analysis shows that both languages use concrete imagery to express abstract meanings such as time, labor, wisdom, status, gratitude, and human conduct. At the same time, the preferred metaphorical domains are not fully identical. English proverbs more often foreground time, personal initiative, planning, and pragmatic action, whereas Uzbek proverbs more frequently highlight labor, hospitality, reciprocity, and social harmony. The findings suggest that metaphor in proverbs reflects both shared cognitive patterns and culture-specific value systems. The article argues that contrastive proverb study is useful not only for linguistics, but also for translation, intercultural communication, and language teaching.