Exploring Literal And Figurative Meaning In English And Uzbek: A Comparative Pragmatic Approach

The subject of this study is the comparison of literal and figurative meaning in both English and Uzbek languages. A focus of the research is on the variation in meaning across different contexts, communicative intentions and cultures. Literal meaning is the literal interpretation of words, but many times in real communication, figurative language like metaphors and idioms is used to express feelings, abstract concepts and interpersonal attitudes. The study examines the figurative expressions of the English and Uzbek languages in view of their mutual similarities and differences in terms of semantic structure, contextual use and translation strategies. The results show that the meaning of certain concepts, such as those that feature shared human experience, is relatively easy to translate between languages, while the meaning of others, such as those that are highly culture-dependent, is more challenging to translate. The research also indicates that the translation is not a mere lexical matching but must be pragmatic, showing adaptation. Overall, the study demonstrates that figurative competence is an important aspect of language learning, language translation, and intercultural communication.