American Journal Of Philological Sciences
66
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ajps
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue07 2025
PAGE NO.
66-68
10.37547/ajps/Volume05Issue07-17
The Reflection of
The Concept “Labour” In
the Naïve
Picture of The English World
Feruza Mamatova Makhammadovna
PhD in philological sciences, associate professor, English Linguistics, National University of Uzbekistan after Mirzo Ulugbek, Tashkent,
100017, Uzbekistan
Received:
24 May 2025;
Accepted:
20 June 2025;
Published:
22 July 2025
Abstract:
This study explores the conceptualization of “labour” in the naïve picture of English speakers. It analyzes
metaphors, associations, and cultural connotations linked to labour in everyday language. By examining lexical
units and figurative expressions, the research reveals how labour is perceived, valued, and emotionally framed in
English, reflecting broader socio-cultural attitudes within the naïve linguistic picture of the world.
Keywords
: Labour, naïve picture, conceptual metaphor, English language, linguistic picture of the world, cultural
connotations, cognitive linguistics, everyday language.
Introduction:
The category of “Labour”
- representing
the universal human model in the collective
consciousness - plays a crucial role in the process of
conceptualization and categorization within the
framework of a simplified worldview (folk perspective,
everyday thinking). The use of proverbs, idioms, frame
analysis, and metaphors is essential in this context, as
these tools are fundamental in creating, expressing,
and understanding the human image in the collective
mindset. Idioms: green labor, labor at, labor away,
labor of Hercules, labor of love ; labor the point, labor
under the delusion of, labor under the illusion of, stoop
labor, induced labour; manual labour; labour intensive;
toil and moil; Put one’s nose to the grindstone ; Back
-
breaking work; Make heavy weather of (something);
Put one’s shoulder to the wheel; Hard graft; the daily
grind; work one’s fingers to the bone; Back/nose to the
grindstone; blood, sweet, and tears; Burning a candle
at both ends; get cracking; give it 110%; go extra mile;
move mountains; No pain no gain; ective consciousness
of the people [1]. The following English proverbs reflect
the anthropophenomenon “Labour” in
a simple picture
of the world: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy;
Many hands make light work; A bad workman always
blames his tools; he devil finds work for idle hands to
do; Idle folks have the least leisure; Elbow grease; A
rolling stone gathers no moss.
During our research, we attempted to create a frame
analysis based on concepts related to the
anthropophenomenal category of “Labour.” The main
objectives of conducting a frame analysis of the
“labour” concept were: to identify the governing and
organizing
elements of the “labour” concept; to reveal
the interrelationships between various meanings and
uses of the concept; to demonstrate the social,
economic, cultural, and linguistic aspects associated
with “labour”; and to create a lexical and semantic map
o
f the English word “labour.” In cognitive linguistics, it
is understood that a concept's frame analysis, or
conceptual frame, is a cognitive structure that
organizes knowledge and ideas about a concept
through related elements: roles, characteristics,
actions, situations, and relationships. In other words, it
is a “supporting framework” that illustrates how the
concept is formed in our consciousness and what
meanings and contexts are connected to it.
In frame analysis, each role or element is a frame
component that contributes to a comprehensive
understanding of the concept. For example, in the
“Labour” frame, the main components (frame
elements) consist of the following: Labourer,
employer, task/work, tools, effort, time, payment.
Furthermore, through frame analysis, the concept of
“labour” is also connected with other frames: labour
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
market - the system of workforce and job positions;
labour laws - legal norms regulating labour; labour
union - organizations that protect workers' rights. In
frame analysis, it is also appropriate to explain
subframes, and it is advisable to include the following:
Manual labour, mental labour, child labour, labour
market, labour union, labour laws.
The role of metaphor in conceptual frame analysis is
fundamental. It helps determine how people perceive
complex, abstract phenomena (such as labor and love)
through comprehensible and clear images. Primarily, it
introduces a new perspective in forming the frame;
expresses a value-based attitude: labor can be noble
(service) or negative (suffering); assigns roles: who is
the hero (worker), who is the enemy (system, boss),
who is the ally (colleagues, trade unions); defines
causes and goals: for example, the concept of "work as
a journey" encompasses goals, paths, obstacles, and
achievements.
Below, we will outline the functions of conceptual
metaphors in the frame analysis of the “Labour”
concept:
Table 1
Functions of metaphors reflecting the anthropophenomenon "Labour" in
frame analysis
Functions of metaphor
Explanations
Examples of metaphors
related to the concept of
“labor”
Systematizes the concept
Metaphor gives form to
the concept, regulates
meanings
“Labour is war" (i.e.,
there is an enemy,
struggle, victory)
Paves the way for
abstraction
Provides understanding
the complex through the
simple
“Labour is burden” (that
is, labor is depicted as a
burden, a burden)
Creates role-status
frames
Defines participants and
their roles
“Labour is service”
(worker = employee)
Expresses attitude and
evaluation
Shows emotional and
social perception
"Back-breaking
work"
(i.e., "work that bends the
back" here is a negative
assessment of work)
The variability of the
frame
The variability of the
frame allows us to see that
the
same
concept
is
framed
differently
in
different cultures.
For example, in English
“labour as market,” in
Russian
“Trud-podvig”
(Труд-подвиг)
So, metaphor is a means of conceptualization, without
which the frame structure of the concept would not be
complete. It aids in bringing abstract concepts into
clear view, systematizing knowledge, and revealing the
value orientations of society. Within the framework of
conceptual frame analysis, metaphor is not considered
a stylistic device, but rather a cognitive mechanism of
thought. At this point, let's analyze the phenomenal
metaphors related to the anthropophenomenon of
“labour” among English speakers. In English culture,
one of the most frequently used metaphorical
phenomena conveying the meaning of great work and
constant effort is “Sweat equity” [2]. This metaphor
-
phenomenon of "labor investment" implies that sweat
is a physical sign indicating the true physiological
contribution and bodily involvement in work. It is
popular
among
English
businessmen
and
American Journal Of Philological Sciences
68
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American Journal Of Philological Sciences (ISSN
–
2771-2273)
entrepreneurs, used as “Labour
-
sweat equity,” and is
understood as a means of transforming labor and effort
into real value through one's work. The metaphor-
phenomenon "Sweat of the brow” [3] carries the
meaning of “Someone's hard work and effort in their
job” and is a profound concept based on physical and
mental experience, embedded in the world's moral and
cultural landscape. It embodies religious ideas, physical
reality, and the social values of labor, creating a
powerful mental image that portrays effort as physical
courage. In the metaphor “Labour is resource,” [4] the
characteristics of the concept of resource (water, fuel,
energy) are transferred to the concept of labor. At the
cognitive level, this implies:
- Labor is considered as a substance with quantitative
properties (volume, expenditure, efficiency).
- It can be managed: it can be distributed, saved,
terminated, and replenished.
- It separates from the subject and becomes an object
of use - an alienated force.
Consequently, this metaphor-phenomenon transforms
human labor into an inanimate entity capable of
economic and technical analysis. This is a fundamental
change in perception: labor is not a process of self-
expression, but a manageable asset, determining the
way of thinking, linguistic expression, cultural values,
and social practices regarding labor and humans in
general. Its power lies in its imperceptibility: it has
become so natural that it is perceived not as a
metaphor, but as “common sense.” However, it is here
that its ideological power and danger are hidden.
Understanding the metaphorical nature of this
structure is the first step towards reinterpreting the
relationship between humans, labor, and culture.
“Labor is a substance” represents a metaphor
-
phenomenon
based
on
the
physical-sensory
experience of perceiving the world, where the abstract
concept of “labor”
is understood as a physically
perceived substance. Within the framework of
cognitive linguistics (Lakoff, Johnson, Apresyan, and
others), such metaphors are considered the result of
projecting human sensorimotor experience onto
abstract categories. In this case, labor is perceived not
as a process or action, but as a material substance that
can be measured, accumulated, spent, or invested. This
conceptualization
is
manifested
in
linguistic
constructions such as “He spent all his labor on the
task,” “Labor fuels the economy,” “The product
incorporates human labor.” In all these expressions,
labor is embodied in the form of liquid, fuel, mass,
energy, i.e., concrete substances perceived by the
senses. Such a transfer of concepts from the physical
realm to the abstract allows ordinary consciousness to
construct knowledge about labor as a resource with
volume, weight, density, and degree of incorporation.
Therefore, in the English-speaking mentality, labor is
often perceived as a measurable value, asset, or capital,
which is especially characteristic of the economic and
cultural discourse of Western civilization. The
metaphor “labor is a substance” forms a cognitive
model in which labor can be “poured,” “injected,”
“extracted,” or “absorbed,” which strengthens it
s
status as an object in linguistic consciousness. This
allows people to think and speak more clearly and
vividly about labor, despite its abstract nature. The
metaphor becomes a means of understanding labor
activity as a physically significant phenomenon, having
not only economic but also cultural and cognitive value.
REFERENCES
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/k
eep-put-nose-to-the-grindstone
https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/sweat%20equity?utm
https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/the-sweat-
of-somediv-s-brow
Lakoff G. ,Johnson M. Metaphors We Live By.
—
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980.
–
p. 80.
