A FUNCTIONAL-SEMANTIC ANALYSIS OF KINSHIP TERMINOLOGY IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK
Abstract
The present study investigates the semantic structure of kinship terms in English and Uzbek from a functional-semantic perspective. The research is based on the assumption that lexical meanings can be decomposed into minimal semantic components, which allows for a systematic description of kinship terminology. Drawing upon componential analysis, the study examines the semantic features underlying kinship nouns and identifies both differential and integral semantic markers that determine their meanings. Special attention is paid to the notions of semantic features, semantic components, generation hierarchy, gender distinctions, and the interaction between linguistic and extralinguistic information. The findings demonstrate that kinship terminology constitutes a highly structured lexical-semantic system and provides valuable evidence for cross-linguistic semantic comparison.