REFLECTION OF METAPHORICAL THOUGHT IN UZBEKISTAN ARTICLES ABOUT THE HOMELAND

Аннотация

This article explores how the concept of "Homeland" is metaphorically expressed in Uzbek folk proverbs through the lens of cognitive linguistics. It identifies metaphorical models and schemas-such as "Homeland as Mother," "Homeland as Home," and "Homeland as Soul"- and examines their role in shaping the mental image of the homeland within the collective consciousness of the people. By analyzing how these metaphors convey cultural values, emotions, and patriotic sentiments, the study underscores the deep interconnection between language and thought. The findings contribute to the broader fields of linguistics, ethnolinguistics, and thestudy ofnational identity. Keywords: Uzbek proverbs, metaphorical thinking, Cognitive linguistics, metaphor, Homeland concept, national values, language and thinking Introduction: Language is the most important mirror of human thinking, through which humanity expresses its worldview, feelings and values. In particular, proverbs, which are products of folk oral creativity, are a unique example of folk thinking, historical experience and social consciousness. In recent years, the importance of the cognitive approach in linguistics has been increasing. This approach studies language not only as a means of communication, but also as an important cognitive system that represents and organizes the system of knowledge in the human mind. In particular, metaphor is seen as one of the main mechanisms of human thinking incognitivelinguistics. Through metaphors, people understand complex concepts on the basis of simple and familiar experience, and express their inner experiences, emotional relationships and moral views. The theory of conceptual metaphor put forward by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson made a fundamental shift in linguistics, paving the way for the study of metaphor not only as a means of artisticexpression,but also as a cognitivemodel ofhuman thinking. This article analyzes the metaphorical models through which the concept of "Homeland" is expressed in Uzbek folk proverbs, and what mental concepts are formed in the thinking of the people through these metaphors. Metaphors such as "Homeland - mother", "Homeland - home", "Homeland - soul" are inextricably linked with the historical memory, national pride and spiritual world of the Uzbek people. Therefore, by showing the connection between language andthinking, thearticle focuses on howmetaphors form concepts such as patriotism, selflessness, loveand loyalty inthe mindsofthe people. The relevance of the article is that in today's era of globalization, the linguocognitive analysis of folk oral creativity remains an important scientific task in order to preserve national consciousness, language and culture. Main part: Metaphor is a cognitive tool that allows us to understand the experience of one domain (source) through the experience of another domain (target). As Lakoff and Johnson’s “Metaphors We Live By” (1980) state, metaphors are not simply linguistic units, but rather conceptual structures that determine howwe imagine theworld inourminds. https://ijmri.de/index.php/jmsi volume 4,issue4,2025 85 Conceptual metaphors consist of three main components: Source domain – a familiar, concrete, and material element of the world in our experience (e.g., mother, house, tree); Target domain – a difficult-to-understand, abstract, or complex concept (e.g., Homeland, life, love); Mapping – semanticsimilaritiestransferred from thesource domain to thetarget domain. For example, through the metaphor “Homeland is mother,” a person associates love, respect, reverence, and devotion to the Homeland with the image of the mother. This is not just a linguisticunit,but acognitivemodel formed in theminds ofthepeople. In Uzbek folk proverbs, the concept of “Homeland” is expressed through many metaphorical models.Wewill focus onthefollowing mainmodels: “Homeland is Mother”, “No mother – no homeland”, “Mother soil – dear soil”, “Homeland is notdearer than mother, but equal” Through this metaphor, an image of the Homeland is created as a loving, protective, source of life. Also, fighting for the Homeland is considered as honorable as giving one’s life for the mother. “Homeland - Home, shelter”, “If you have a home, you will find shelter”, “Without a home, the peoplewillbe homeless”,“Without ahome, the heart willnot befull” In this model, the Homeland becomes a symbol of security, peace and personal freedom. The metaphor of thehomeexpresses thefact thattheHomeland is asourceof stabilityandpeace. “Homeland - Soul, life”, “As long as the soul exists - the Homeland lives”, “To love the Homeland is to lovelife”,“TheHomeland isdearer thanlife” This metaphor describes the Homeland as a part of human existence. The Homeland is understood not only as a geographical space, but also as a spiritual and psychological support for aperson. “Homeland - Holiness”, “The soil of the Homeland is a place of worship”, “Before the enemy, protect faith,then -the country”,“Thehon