LINGUOCULTURAL FEATURES OF PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS WITH THE COMPONENT "WATER" IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK
Abstract
Abstract: This study is devoted to examining the linguocultural features of phraseological units (PUs) with the component "water" in English and Uzbek languages. Despite the active development of linguoculturology and phraseology, the comparative study of water-component PUs in typologically different languages remains underexplored. The paper analyzes the theoretical foundations of the concept of "water" as a natural element in the linguistic worldview, identifies the semantic, figurative, and symbolic features of water-component PUs, and reveals their national-cultural specificity. Based on the analysis of lexicographic sources and corpus data, the study distinguishes several thematic groups: water as a symbol of purity and transparency; water as a symbol of danger, instability, and variability; water as a symbol of life, renewal, and fertility; water as a symbol of an obstacle or difficult situation; and water as a symbol of the superfluous or insignificant. The research demonstrates that in English, water-component PUs more frequently express negative meanings (danger, instability, difficulties), whereas in Uzbek, positive meanings (purity, life, abundance, calmness) predominate. These differences are explained by the geographical environment, cultural traditions, and mythological perceptions of the two linguocultural communities. Keywords: phraseological unit, linguoculturology, water component, linguocultural features.