A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE STRUCTURAL-SEMANTIC FEATURES OF ENGLISH AND UZBEK WORD COMBINATIONS

Abstract

This research provides a comparative analysis of the structural and semantic characteristics of word combinations in English and Uzbek, examining their formation, idiomatic nature, and the impact of cultural and linguistic factors. English, an analytic language with a fixed word order and frequent use of phrasal verbs, stands in stark contrast to Uzbek, which is an agglutinative language that depends on suffixes, postpositions, and auxiliary verbs. The study investigates significant differences in syntax, morphology, and semantic clarity, highlighting the difficulties encountered in translation and second-language acquisition. While English often relies on idiomatic expressions with less transparent meanings (e.g., "kick the bucket"), Uzbek combinations tend to be more literal, although idioms influenced by Persian and Russian are also present (e.g., "dil kushodasi" [heart’s joy]). Additionally, the study looks at how cultural and historical influences shape the collocational structures in both languages. By comparing these features in detail, the paper aims to improve cross-linguistic understanding, offering valuable insights for translators, linguists, and language learners. The findings emphasize the importance of context-sensitive approaches to mastering the distinct structural and semantic systems of both languages.