THE MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF HYDRONYMS IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK LANGUAGES

Аннотация

This article is about the study of hydronyms, which are lexical units in world and Uzbek linguistics, their lexical-semantic structure, which is one of the important features of the lexical richness of the language. The article confirms hydronyms as common components of proper names in English and Uzbek language. This article explores the morphological and semantic characteristics of hydronyms in English and Uzbek, highlighting the linguistic patterns, cultural implications, and historical origins embedded in water-related place names. Through comparative analysis, the study demonstrates how hydronyms in both languages serve as linguistic reflections of environmental perception and socio-cultural heritage. Keywords: onomastics, hydronyms, morphology, lexical units, semantic structures, proper names Annotatsiya. Ushbu maqola jahon va oʻzbek tilshunosligidagi leksik birliklardan biri boʻlgan gidronimlarni, ularning leksik-semantik tarkibini oʻrganishga bagʻishlangan boʻlib, bu tilning leksik boyligining muhim xususiyatlaridan biridir. Maqolada gidronimlar ingliz va o‘zbek tillaridagi atoqli otlarning umumiy komponentlari sifatida o’rganilishi ta’kidlanadi. Ushbu maqolada ingliz va oʻzbek tillaridagi gidronimlarning morfologik va semantik xususiyatlari oʻrganilib, suv bilan bogʻliq joy nomlarida singib ketgan lingvistik xususiyatlar, madaniy taʼsirlar va tarixiy kelib chiqishi koʻrsatilgan. Qiyosiy tahlil orqali tadqiqot har ikki tildagi gidronimlarning atrof-muhitni idrok etish va ijtimoiy-madaniy merosning lingvistik aksi bo‘lib xizmat qilishini ko‘rsatadi. Kalit so’zlar: onomastika, gidronimlar, morfologiya, leksik birliklar, semantic strukturalar, atoqli otlar. Introduction: Hydronyms, the names of water bodies such as rivers, lakes, and seas, form an important branch of toponymy and onomastics1. These names are not only geographical identifiers but also carriers of linguistic, historical, and cultural significance. 1 Ainiala, Saarelma, & Sjöblom, 2012 435 Aprel, 2025-Yil The word "hydronym" comes from Greek: hydro- (water) + -onym (name). Hydronyms are names of bodies of water, such as rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans. In English, they often derive from ancient languages (like Latin, Greek, Celtic, or Old English) and sometimes describe physical characteristics or commemorate people or events. In onomastics (the study of names), hydronyms are a subclass of toponyms (place names) that refer specifically to natural bodies of water. This includes rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, streams, bays, etc. Hydronyms, or the names of water bodies, are an essential part of geographical nomenclature. Their formation reflects the linguistic, historical, and cultural features of a region. This article explores the morphological structure of hydronyms in English and Uzbek languages, identifying common patterns, affixes, and roots used in their formation. The comparative analysis reveals both shared and distinct linguistic strategies employed in naming rivers, lakes, seas, and other water bodies in the two languages. Hydronyms provide a valuable lens through which to examine the linguistic heritage and cultural history of a language community. English and Uzbek, belonging to the Indo-European and Turkic language families respectively, exhibit different morphological patterns in hydronym formation.2 Morphological Structure of English Hydronyms: English hydronyms often derive from Old English, Celtic, Latin, Norse, and other linguistic sources. Similarly, names like Avon come from the Celtic word abona, meaning "river" Morphologically, they typically consist of: • Roots or stems referring to water features (e.g., river, lake, brook, stream) • Descriptive adjectives or locational terms (e.g., Clearwater, Deep River) • Suffixes and affixes such as: o -mere (Old English, meaning lake) – e.g., Windermere o -ford (Old English, shallow river crossing) – e.g., Oxford o -pool (Old English, pool or small body of water) – e.g., Liverpool o -burn (Old English/Norse, stream) – e.g., Blackburn o -beck (Old Norse, brook) – e.g., Troutbeck 3 2 Sharopova, S. K. (2021). Linguistic and morphologic features of English and Uzbek names. Academicia Globe: Inderscience Research, 2(4), 25–30. 3 Online Etymology Dictionary. (2024). Retrieved from https://www.etymonline.com 436 Aprel, 2025-Yil Morphological Structure of Uzbek Hydronyms: Uzbek hydronyms are influenced by Turkic roots and reflect geographical characteristics or cultural associations. Uzbek hydronyms are deeply rooted in Turkic, Persian, and Arabic etymology. For example, Amudaryo combines “Amu” (a historical region) with “daryo” (river) They often consist of: • Nouns denoting water features (e.g., daryo - river, ko'l - lake, soy - stream) • Descriptive adjectives (e.g., Katta Daryo - Great River, Oq Daryo - White River) • Compound structures combining noun + adjective or noun + noun • Suffixes that can indicate possession, diminutives, or relational meaning: o -lik/-liq (place of) – e.g., K