SEMANTIC AND STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK
Keywords:
synonymy, antonymy, semantic relations, structural characteristics, English language, Uzbek language, gradable opposition, complementary opposition, morphological contrast, lexical semantics, cross-linguistic comparison, stylistic variation, cultural factors, linguistic identity.Abstract
This article examines the semantic and structural characteristics of synonyms and antonyms in English and Uzbek, focusing on the similarities and differences in their lexical organization, semantic development, and functional usage in both languages. The study highlights that synonyms and antonyms, while universally recognized semantic relations, demonstrate significant language-specific features shaped by cultural, historical, and linguistic factors. In English, synonymy is characterized by a wide range of stylistic shades, etymological diversity, and functional variability due to extensive borrowing and the coexistence of Germanic, Latin, and French lexical layers. In Uzbek, synonymy is strongly influenced by native Turkic roots, historical Persian–Arabic borrowings, and modern socio-cultural developments, which together create a unique system of semantic parallels.
References
1.Cruse, D. A. (1986). Lexical Semantics. Cambridge University Press.
2.Lyons, J. (1995). Linguistic Semantics: An Introduction. Cambridge University Press.
3.Murphy, M. Lynne. (2003). Semantic Relations and the Lexicon: Antonymy, Synonymy, and Other Paradigms. Cambridge University Press.
4. Saeed, John I. (2015). Semantics (4th ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.
5. Lehrer, A. (1974). Semantic Fields and Lexical Structure. North-Holland Publishing.
6. Jackson, H., & Amvela, E. Z. (2007). Words, Meaning and Vocabulary. Continuum.
7. Cruse, D. A. (2000). Meaning in Language: An Introduction to Semantics and Pragmatics. Oxford University Press.
8. Goddard, C., & Wierzbicka, A. (2014). Words and Meanings: Lexical Semantics Across Domains, Languages, and Cultures. Oxford University Press.
9. Fellbaum, C. (Ed.). (1998). WordNet: An Electronic Lexical Database. MIT Press.
10. Uzbek Language Institute. (2006). O‘zbek Tilining Izohli Lug‘ati. Tashkent: Fan.
11. Wierzbicka, A. (1996). Semantics: Primes and Universals. Oxford University Press.
12. Taylor, J. R. (2003). Linguistic Categorization. Oxford University Press.
