EUPHEMISMS IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK: LINGUOCULTURAL AND PRAGMATIC ASPECTS

Abstract

Euphemism is a linguistic universal rooted in the human need to speak about what a community considers dangerous, painful or improper. This paper compares euphemistic vocabulary in English and Uzbek from a linguocultural and pragmatic perspective. It identifies the principal thematic domains in which euphemisms cluster, describes the formal mechanisms of their creation, and analyses the functions they perform in communication. The comparison shows that the two languages employ largely the same formal devices, but differ in motivation: Uzbek euphemism is shaped predominantly by religious and ethical norms and by the hierarchy of respect, whereas English euphemism is increasingly institutional and socio-political in character. The paper argues that euphemism should be treated as a pragmatic strategy of face-saving rather than as a purely lexical phenomenon.