Metonymy in English and Uzbek languages

Abstract

This article studies metonymy as a semantic and stylistic phenomenon in English and Uzbek. It explains how metonymic meaning is built on real relations such as part and whole, place and institution, author and work, container and content, and object and social value. The study uses descriptive and comparative analysis of examples from public discourse, literary usage, and everyday communication. The findings show that English and Uzbek share several common metonymic models, because speakers in both languages use one related sign to activate a wider meaning. However, the cultural emphasis is different. English metonymy is especially common in political, institutional, media, and literary discourse, while Uzbek metonymy is more strongly connected with hospitality, family relations, traditional objects, and national symbols. The article also discusses the role of metonymy in translation and language teaching, where literal rendering may weaken cultural meaning and stylistic force for learners, translators, and readers in intercultural communication.