THE PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS IN ECONOMIC TEXTS IN ENGLISH AND KARAKALPAK LANGUAGES

Аннотация

This article explores the role and function of phraseological units (PUs) in economic texts, with a comparative analysis of their usage in English and Karakalpak languages. It examines the stylistic, cognitive, and cultural aspects of PUs, illustrating how they enrich economic discourse, enhance metaphorical expressions, and reflect national worldviews. By comparing and classifying economic idioms and set expressions in both languages, the study reveals both universal and culturally specific features, contributing to the field of contrastive linguistics and specialized translation. Keywords: phraseological units, economic texts, idioms, metaphor, English, Karakalpak, contrastive analysis, economic discourse. Introduction. Phraseological units are fixed, idiomatic expressions that are widely used in various domains of human activity, including the field of economics. In economic discourse, they serve as powerful linguistic tools that help to convey complex ideas, attitudes, and evaluations in a concise and vivid way. Hence, this article focuses on analyzing the types, structures, and functions of PUs in English and Karakalpak economic texts and draws comparisons between them. English economic texts abound with phraseological units that are both metaphorical and culture-bound. Such units serve not only a communicative but also a cognitive function, allowing speakers to understand abstract economic phenomena through concrete imagery. For example, expressions like “bear market” and “bull market” personify investor behavior using animal metaphors. The “bull” represents aggressive buying and optimism, while the “bear” symbolizes pessimism and market decline. Another common PU in English economics is “tighten one’s belt,” meaning to reduce expenditures. This idiom is often used in periods of economic recession or austerity. Moreover, expressions like “to break even,” “in the red,” and “to cut losses” are widely used in financial reporting and business communication. What is particularly notable about English economic phraseology is its frequent use of metaphorical frameworks such as warfare (e.g., “price war,” “hostile takeover”), sports (e.g., “game changer,” “score a profit”), and nature (e.g., “economic climate,” “green economy”). These metaphors are not randomly chosen; they reflect the cultural 8 ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN MODERN SCIENCE International scientific-online conference tendencies to conceptualize economics in terms of competition, struggle, and natural processes [4, 64-70]. In Karakalpak, the use of phraseological units in economics is less idiomatically dense than in English but still significant. PUs in Karakalpak economic discourse often reflect traditional views on wealth, labor, and prosperity. For example, the phrase “pul tabıw ańsat, abıray tabıw qıyın” conveys a moral standpoint on wealth management, emphasizing prudence over accumulation. Similarly, metaphors rooted in agriculture and livestock are common due to the historically agrarian nature of Karakalpak society. Expressions like "pul qoldıń kiri” connect economic and educational values. This contrasts with the more aggressive market metaphors of English, reflecting cultural attitudes that prioritize balance and harmony over competition. However, globalization and the influence of Russian and English have introduced new phraseological units into the Karakalpak lexicon [1]. Loan translations and hybrid expressions such as “investiciya kirgiziw” (investment input) or “tapqanı tapqanına jetpew” (financial difficulty) are now commonly used in academic and journalistic texts. When comparing the two languages, several similarities and differences become evident. On the one hand, both English and Karakalpak use metaphorical phraseology to describe economic processes. Both languages employ idioms that express growth, decline, risk, and value, although the images used may differ. For instance, the English phrase “a cash cow” (a profitable asset) finds its rough equivalent in Karakalpak as “qazanı bàrqulla qaynap turatuģın biznes”. While the image is similar, the expression in Karakalpak is more descriptive and less idiomatic in form, which may be due to the more literal and explanatory nature of Turkic languages. On the other hand, there are clear differences in cultural conceptualization. English economic idioms tend to reflect a capitalist, competitive worldview, whereas Karakalpak expressions are often rooted in ethical, communal, and ecological perspectives. Additionally, the density of PUs in English economic texts is much higher, partially due to the maturity of the English-language economic discourse and the presence of idioms in business English training. Phraseological units perform several functions in economic texts. Stylistically, they make the text more engaging and expressive. They also serve as tools for evaluation, often indicating approval or disapproval of economic decisions. Functionally, they provide shorthand for complex processe