LINGUOCOGNITIVE FEATURES OF PHYTONYM-BASED PAROEMIAS IN UZBEK AND ENGLISH
Abstract
This article examines the linguocognitive features of phytonym‑based paroemias in Uzbek and English from a comparative perspective. Plant names in paroemias function as culturally salient lexical triggers that activate shared knowledge about nature, human experience, and value systems. Working within an anthropocentric paradigm, the study models the conceptual mappings that motivate phytonymic paremias and describes their cognitive functions in discourse. The analysis is organized around three recurrent cognitive models such as “human→phytonym”, “life→phytonym”, and “activity→phytonym” and three clusters of cognitive functions: aesthetic evaluation and the promotion of beauty, the promotion of thinking and reasoning, and the representation of social action and processes. The findings highlight both universal metaphorical patterns (growth, roots, harvest) and culture‑specific profiles shaped by local ecology, agriculture, and sociohistorical experience. The paper also outlines translation‑relevant implications arguing that successful rendering of phytonymic paremias requires attention to conceptual equivalence rather than literal lexical substitution