LEXICAL AND STYLISTIC FEATURES OF AGE-INDICATIVE PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK

Аннотация

This study investigates the lexical and stylistic characteristics of phraseological units that refer to human age, specifically youth and old age, in English and Uzbek. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from phraseology, stylistics, and comparative linguistics, the paper explores the structural makeup, metaphorical imagery, emotional coloring, and stylistic purposes of age- indicative idioms. Through a contrastive analysis, it reveals how idioms related to age not only convey biological stages but also reflect the cultural values, humor, and social ideologies embedded in each language. The findings demonstrate significant differences in lexicalization and stylistic use, with Uzbek idioms favoring respectful and poetic imagery, while English idioms often carry humorous, ironic, or critical tones. Keywords: lexical features, stylistic analysis, phraseological units, idioms, youth, old age, English, Uzbek, metaphor, evaluative connotation.