American Journal Of Philological Sciences
154
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue05 2025
PAGE NO.
154-157
10.37547/ajps/Volume05Issue05-41
Specific Characteristics of Metaphor in Poetry
Yusupova Aziza Muhiddin qizi
PhD student Alisher Navo’i Tashkent State University of Uzbek Language and Liteature, Uzbekistan
Received:
18 March 2025;
Accepted:
14 April 2025;
Published:
16 May 2025
Abstract:
This article provides insights into the specifics of metaphors, classification, functions of thoughts in
perception, specifics in the arrival of metaphors in the composition of poems, and their significance. The article
highlights the manifestation of metaphors in the poetry of the national poet of Uzbekistan Usman Azim, the
conclusions about the ways in which the Figurative meaning exist in analysis of several poems of the poet.
References to cognitive and semantic analysis of metaphors that come in poetic verses are covered.
Keywords:
Metaphor, types of meaning transfer, poetry, analysis, perception, cognitive knowledge, semantic
analysis.
Introduction:
We all know that the language of the
nation performs a social function as a tool for the
exchange of ideas. In the current development of the
Uzbek language, the services of not only our linguists,
but also our writers and poets are invaluable. Many
issues in the development of the language are being
solved by scientifically and theoretically substantiating
them and exerting a social impact on them. The
introduction of new areas into linguistics has set the
task of studying the lexicon of our language and its
grammatical structure in a deeper and more
comprehensive way.
Special attention is paid to collecting and studying
information about metaphors, which occupy a key
place in the linguistic source of the Uzbek language. The
issues of meaning transfer have been relevant for every
era. Therefore, the scientific and cultural heritage of
great creators, the relationship of the national
language with other languages, knowledge and
perception of the world through lexical units, and the
scope of reflection of the thinking, perception, and
values of the native speaker are becoming relevant.
A number of monographic studies have been carried
out by Uzbek linguists on the study of semasiology and
linguocognitology, which have developed as leading
and new directions in modern linguistics. Scientific
works on the study of metaphors in the Uzbek language
have been carried out by M.Mirtojiyev, N.Mahmudov,
Sh. Safarov, M.Yuldoshev, D. Khudoyberganova and
others.
Many studies have been carried out to investigate
metaphor from a linguistic point of view, to determine
its place, structure and semantics in the language
system. The main function of metaphor is the use of
linguistic units (words, combinations) to express
another concept or object, deviating from their usual
denotative meaning. It is often used to express
imagination, thought and emotion. Metaphors make it
easier to understand and visualize concepts. With the
help of metaphor, abstract and complex concepts can
be expressed more clearly and vividly. Because of their
lexical nature, metaphors are a stylistic tool that
expresses the subtleties of language. The use of
metaphor in the lexical system develops the language
by creating new words and expressions and by giving
new meanings to existing words. Metaphor, usually in
the artistic expression of reality or experience, reflects
the process of generalizing material, of transferring a
concrete object or concept to an abstract idea. In this
process, the poet’s artistic intention, the scope of his
thinking and the level of his aesthetic judgement
become clear.
In the process of linguistic analysis of poetic works, it is
necessary to identify lexical units that demonstrate the
author's mastery of language, realize emotional-
expressive semantics in a convex manner, and reflect
on the extent to which they serve the author’s artistic
and aesthetic purpose. In this article, we will make
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
155
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
observations about the emergence and perception of
metaphors through the poems of Osman Azim. In
Osman Azim’s poems, the poet’s passionate feelings
are set in motion, the poet animates an image in each
poem and transfers his feelings and mood to it.
Whether it is an inanimate object or a part of nature,
the poet gives it life and makes it move.
In his poetry, Usman Azim discovers symbols and
images for himself by using elements of nature. Among
the poetic arts, such poetic arts as simile, animation,
characterization, repetition are actively used, which
create unique poetic landscapes, serve as an important
tool to enhance the artistic and aesthetic impact of
poems, and to express various subtleties of meaning.
By using these tools in poetry, the poet brings the
described unity into the inner world of the reader
reading the poem, introduces him to his experiences
and feelings.
METHODS
Metaphor is a linguistic tool that helps to understand
poetic works quickly and easily. Our creative poets use
this tool effectively. Such units are adapted to perform
certain tasks in terms of linguistic cognition. Metaphors
also
have
special
semantic
and
cognitive
characteristics. In modern linguistics, metaphor is
considered to be the basis of such mental processes as
explanation, evaluation, acceptance and perception. A
person not only expresses his thoughts through
metaphors, but also uses their different connotations,
thinks through metaphors and perceives the world in
which he lives through metaphors. Metaphors help us
to change the linguistic picture of the world in the mind
of the recipient, to introduce familiar phenomena into
new categories. The perception of metaphors in the
human mind is a cognitive process, which indicates the
presence of knowledge in the cognitive mind of people.
For example, the metaphor of time as a flowing river is
perceived in human thought as being endless and
boundless, like a flowing river.
Having found a place in the hearts of many readers,
Usman Azim's works have become one of the main
names of modern Uzbek poetry. Therefore, we have
chosen the poems used in the works “A Piece of Sky”
and “Election” as the objects of our article, and the
metaphors in them have been analysed. The selected
materials were classified on the basis of the field theory
method, and linguistic-cognitive analysis methods were
used to study the problem.
RESULTS
Usman Azim is one of the representatives of modern
Uzbek poetry, and the role of metaphors in his work is
incomparable. No matter what topic his poems are on,
no matter what image they depict, they reflect the
poet's pain, sorrow, and most importantly, the eternal
pain and eternal sorrow of man. When we read the
work of Usman Azim, we enjoy every image created by
the poet, and the similes amaze our hearts. Usman
Azim's poetry is rich in metaphors. The metaphors
created by the poet in artistic speech increase the
artistic and aesthetic value of the poetic text.
Sometimes we can also find similes in the metaphors
used by the p
oet. In this, it is unique in that it is not “the
thing that is likened”, but “the thing that is likened”
that is new. For example, we can see the associations
in the following line.
Shavqat yo‘qdir g‘ussa ro‘zida,
Bo‘ldi. Ketdim. Qolmadi sabr.
Tashqarida asfalt ustida
Behush yotar sovuq dekabr. [ Usmon Azim, 1995:
31]
Here, the poet uses the metaphorical adjective “cold
December lying unconscious” (“behush yotar sovuq
dekabr”), describing the cold December lying
unconscious on the asphalt outside. The poet animates
the phrase “cold December”, that is, the month of
December with cold weather, through the word
“unconscious”. Personification is a form of metaphor
based on the comparison, similarity between the living
referent of the generating meaning and the inanimate
referent of the derived meaning. [ M. Mirtojiyev, 2010:
98].
Namxushgina tumandan yana
Kichraymish bu dunyo qafasi.
Muzladingmi, sharfni ol, mana,
Shamollama, mana, nafasim.
“Namxush tumandan dunyo qafasi kichraygani” is a
metaphorical combination, the poet is afraid of the
"breath" catching a cold and spreads a scarf. The art of
“reviving” appears through the word “breath”. In
addition,
the
metaphorical
combination
“the
unpleasant mist” can also be an example of a
synesthetic metaphor.
Usman Azim surrounds the idea he wants to convey
with beautiful curtains through the types of meaning
transfer used in his poems, encouraging the reader to
think and observe. The emergence of linguistic units in
this way enhances the artistry of the poetic text.
Vaqt kelar - dunyoning boqchalaridan
Tutunday tarqaydi o‘lik xitoblar.
Zamonning yuksak did tokchalaridan
Yiqilib tushadi yolg‘on kitoblar.[ Usmon Azim,
1995: 131]
This poem, which is one of the poet's poems on social
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
156
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps
American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
themes, uses metaphors such as “dead speeches”,
“shelves of high taste”, “false books”. Osman Azim
thought that one day, when people have high taste,
books without truth written on them will fall from the
shelves, and he expressed this through metaphorical
units. Dead speeches disappear like smoke, only truth
remains in the world. In this line, the poet also made a
wonderful transfer of meaning. He revived the word
speech through the word dead, which expresses
personification, that is, he wanted to say non-existent,
meaningless speeches.
DISCUSSION
Vujudimda bezovta tashvish-
She’r bo‘yini ufurgan havo.
Ruhimdagi so‘ngsiz o‘zgarish
-
Navo!Navo!..Tushkunsiz navo-
Dard oralab yo‘qlikka yetish. [ Usmon Azim,
2022:
6 ]
•
Vujudimda bezovta tashvish
Here the poet expresses his mental state figuratively.
“Anxiety in my div” is not just ordinary anxiety, but
anxiety that covers the whole div, disturbing from the
inside. This anxiety occupies not only the mind, but the
whole div, that is, it is expressed that the emotions
are strong.
-
The harmony between “div” and “anxiety” indicates
that anxiety is not only perceived mentally, but also
physically.
-
“anxiety” is described not as a simple state, but as a
feeling that permeates the whole being. Inner anguish,
spiritual unrest - these emotions awaken emotional
thinking.
•
She’r bo‘yini ufurgan havo
This line is very figurative and poetic. When it is said
that “the air that blew the poem’s neck” is said, it is as
if the air is filled with some spiritual power, and the
poem itself is breathing from that air.
• Personification (animation): The poem “blows its
neck” —
through this, the poem is animated. The poem
is also described as a living being.
• Image: Air is a sy
mbol of spirit, inspiration, passion.
The poem draws strength from this inspired air and
comes to life. This expression figuratively expresses not
only about poetry, but also how it is created, from what
mental state it emerges.
Through these two lines, the poet figuratively and
artistically shows the process of spiritual unrest and the
coming into life of poetic inspiration. Anxiety is
described as the inner pain that inspires the poem, and
air is the source of the poem’s breath of life. In this
verse, beauty emerges through the depth of emotion,
figurative expression, and the art of humanization.
CONCLUSION
- metaphors serve to define poetic works from a
linguistic and cognitive perspective, give them a special
spirit, and express the idea expressed in the text in a
connotational sense, as well as to point out certain
specific aspects of the character of the image in the
creation of various artistic works.
- metaphors are a product of folk thinking, which reflect
not only the language, customs, values, but also the
views of the people on life and the world. If we pay
attention to metaphors in the Uzbek language, the
qualities inherent in the Uzbek people are clearly
manifested in metaphors.
- cognitive analysis of metaphors based on consistency
allows us to determine the ideas of representatives of
this people about a certain concept, the world and
existence;
- metaphors in poetic texts can be used as an element
that performs an aesthetic function;
- Metaphors in poetic texts help the reader to name
one concept by another, expanding its characteristics
using metaphorical methods, and thereby helping the
reader to better understand the poetic text and its
cognitive aspects.
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