Structural-Semantic Types of Semantic Field Units "Death" And "Life" In English and Uzbek

Аннотация

This article examines the structural-semantic types of “life” (hayot) and “death” (o‘lim) within English and Uzbek, focusing on how cultural, religious, and social factors influence the relevant lexical items and expressions. It explores various subfields—ranging from basic synonyms to euphemisms and metaphors—to illustrate how speakers of both languages articulate life and death in nuanced ways. The discussion also reveals how Islamic and Christian beliefs, as well as evolving social practices, contribute to the creation of idioms and figurative expressions. By highlighting the overlaps and divergences in these semantic fields, the article underscores the rich interplay between language, worldview, and cultural identity. Keywords: Life, death, English language, Uzbek language, semantic fields, structure, culture. whereas survival highlights the continuation of Introduction: The notions of “life” and “death” occupy existence under challenging circumstances. Similarly, a profound place in virtually every culture, and English “death” splits into lexical categories like the direct noun and Uzbek are no exception. Linguistic expressions (death), its formal synonyms (demise), and a wealth of used to denote life (hayot in Uzbek and life in English) idiomatic phrases (pass away, depart this life). and death (o‘lim in Uzbek and death in English) extend Structural-semantic groupings also include far beyond literal biological definitions, weaving in euphemisms—“kick the bucket,” “meet one’s end,” cultural beliefs, literary imagery, and religious “breathe one’s last”—which may be less formal or even perspectives. When examining their structural- humorous. Thus, English depicts life and death both in semantic types within each language, one observes plain and figurative terms, creating an elaborate that these concepts are not simply pairs of antonyms, network of expressions that vary in register, emotional but constitute entire semantic fields composed of weight, and cultural resonance. varied lexical items, idiomatic expressions, metaphors, and euphemisms. This article explores how, in both In Uzbek, the central nouns for “life” and “death” English and Uzbek, “life” and “death” are represented (hayot and o‘lim) similarly diverge into multiple through structural-semantic layers, shedding light on structural-semantic categories. The term hayot may how cultural norms, religious traditions, and social reference mere physical existence or a fuller moral or attitudes shape the usage of these terms. In doing so, spiritual dimension. Other key items, such as umr the discussion emphasizes not only the direct (lifespan) or yashash (living), highlight either the limited synonyms and antonyms, but also the broader nature of one’s earthly duration or the process of constellation of words and phrases that construct the maintaining one’s life. In tandem, synonyms and near- semantic fields in question. synonyms for o‘lim, like vafot (often used more formally or respectfully) and olamdan o‘tmoq (literally In English, “life” can be expressed through “to pass from the world”), reflect social, religious, and straightforward nouns (life, lifetime) and extended stylistic nuances. Unlike in English, where pass away is forms that capture duration or quality (existence, considered a polite term, in Uzbek, formal and informal survival, longevity). These forms may be subdivided registers shift significantly depending on whether one according to their connotations. For example, lifetime uses euphemistic phrases (bizni tark etdi, “left us”) or signals the entire span of one’s earthly existence, American Journal Of Philological Sciences 285 https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN – 2771-2273) straightforward references (o‘ldi, “died”). The These idioms and metaphors thus create a more poetic structural-semantic repertoire in Uzbek often shows a stratum, revealing the interplay between language, heightened degree of respect or decorum, presumably aesthetic tradition, and worldview. influenced by traditional, communal norms and Islamic Religious and spiritual subcategories also shape beliefs regarding the sanctity of life and the significance structural-semantic variation in both languages. of death. English, influenced historically by Christianity, may rely To examine these structural-semantic types in each on references to Heaven, Hell, or the afterlife in language, it proves helpful to categorize them into describing death: e.g., “gone to Heaven” or “in a better subfields. First, each language offers neutral or place.” Uzbek, rooted strongly in Islamic tradition, unmarked terms that simply refer to the fact of being integrates words like oxirat (Hereafter) and jannat alive or deceased. Life in English and hayot in Uzbek (Paradise). These terms add connotations of moral function as foundational nodes around which more purpose and accountability, bridging the lexical fields of specific connotations