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TYPE
Original Research
PAGE NO.
21-25
DOI
OPEN ACCESS
SUBMITED
12 April 2025
ACCEPTED
08 May 2025
PUBLISHED
10 June 2025
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue 06 2025
COPYRIGHT
© 2025 Original content from this work may be used under the terms
of the creative commons attributes 4.0 License.
Comparative Typology of
Word Forms in English And
Uzbek
Khalilova Sitora Zarifovna
EFL teacher, department of Foreign Language and Literature, Tashkent
University of Applied Sciences, Uzbekistan
Abstract
: This scientific article investigates the
commonalities and comparative differences in word
formation between English and Uzbek. English and
Uzbek languages possess both similar and distinct
features in terms of their morphological systems.
Through the analysis of word formation processes, this
scholarly research provides extensive information on
morphological changes in both languages, including
affixation, composition, shortening, and reduplication.
This study contributes to a better understanding of
cross-linguistic morphological comparison between
Uzbek and English. This, in turn, serves as a useful
scientific resource for linguists, translators, and
educators to gain a deeper insight into the
interrelationships between the two languages.
Keywords:
English language, Uzbek language, word
formation,
derivation,
composition,
affixation,
conversion, clipping, back-formation.
Introduction:
The comparative study of word formation
methods in English and Uzbek constitutes a significant
area revealing linguistic diversity. This analysis precisely
demonstrates how the unique structure and historical
development context of each language influence the
process of forming new lexical units. Such comparative
investigation not only facilitates a deeper understanding
of the internal mechanisms of both languages but also
substantially contributes to the development of
comparative linguistics by exploring how different
linguistic systems address similar communicative needs.
In this process, inter-linguistic differences and
similarities are identified, leading to the advancement
of new ideas regarding universal linguistic principles.
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English word formation has been extensively studied,
with a substantial div of research documenting its
diverse processes. Trousdale (2024) discusses changes
in word formation within the framework of Word
Grammar, providing two case studies that illustrate the
temporal evolution of word formation rules. His
research emphasizes the dynamic nature of word
formation and its dependency on cognitive and
grammatical contexts. Bauer (2020) provides a
comprehensive overview of compounds and minor
word-formation types in English. He categorizes
English word formation methodologies into major and
minor processes, highlighting how compounding
remains one of the most productive methods. Bauer's
analysis demonstrates how new words (compounds)
are created by combining existing lexical units; these
compounds often acquire semantic meanings distinct
from their constituent elements.
Uzbek word formation, though less studied than
English, offers substantial insight into the agglutinative
nature characteristic of Turkic languages. Erkinova
(2023) thoroughly examines the principles of word
group formation in Uzbek. Her work identifies key
regularities in how words are grouped and modified
through suffixation, thereby providing insights into the
systematic characteristics of Uzbek word formation.
Erkinova's research contributes to a broader
understanding of the structural rules governing the
expansion of Uzbek vocabulary.
RESULTS
Through linguistic typology, various aspects such as
syntax (sentence structure), morphology (word
structure), and phonology (sound system) are
investigated across different languages. The primary
objective of this approach is to classify languages
based on their grammatical characteristics. This
research provides a step-by-step comparative
description of English and Uzbek.
Syntactic Comparative Analysis: English predominantly
adheres to the S+V+O (Subject-Verb-Object) word
order. For example: "The dog (S) eats (V) the bone (O)."
(Uzbek: It suyakni yeydi.) In contrast, Uzbek follows the
S+O+V (Subject-Object-Verb) word order. For example:
"It (S) suyak (O) yeydi (V)."
Morphological Comparative Analysis: English is
generally considered an isolating language, meaning
that word formation involves a limited number of
affixes. For instance, the past tense is formed with the
suffix -
ed (start → started). Uzbek, unlike English,
is an
agglutinative language, where grammatical meanings
and relationships are expressed through numerous
affixes. Various suffixes are used for number, tense,
possession, case, and other grammatical categories in
word formation.
Case of Nouns: English has limited noun case markers.
The primary cases include nominative (subjective),
accusative (objective), and genitive (expressed with 's).
In Uzbek, the situation is reversed: nominative,
accusative, dative, locative, ablative, and other case
forms exist, each expressed with specific suffixes. For
example: daftar (nom.), daftarni (acc.), daftarga (dativ).
Gender: English generally lacks grammatical gender,
although some words distinguish gender (e.g.,
actor/actress). Gender-specific pronouns like he/she are
used to indicate gender in showing tense and person.
Uzbek nouns do not possess grammatical gender.
However, gender distinction exists in pronouns (e.g., u
–
refers to male/female based on context).
Verb Conjugation: English verbs have a limited number
of forms. Conjugation primarily depends on tense and
person. For example: he runs / they run. Uzbek verb
conjugation is more complex, having various forms
based on tense, mood, voice, and person. For example:
keladi, kelgan, kelayotgan, kelar edi, and so on.
Determiners and Articles: In English, definiteness and
indefiniteness are expressed through determiners and
articles (a, an, the). Uzbek, however, does not have
articles. In this language, definiteness and indefiniteness
are conveyed through context, case suffixes, and word
order.
Word Formation (Morphological Structure): Word
formation refers to the methods of creating new words
in a language. Despite having different genetic origins,
both English and Uzbek utilize specific word formation
methods.
English
Word
Formation
Methods: Derivation: New words are formed by adding
prefixes or suffixes to a word. Examples: lonely + -ness
→ loneliness; un
-
+ comfortable → uncomfortable.
Composition (Compounding): Two or more independent
words combine to express a new meaning. Examples:
wheel + chair → wheelchair; black + board →
blackboard. Conversion: In this method, the
grammatical category (i.e., part of speech, e.g., from
noun to verb) of a word changes without altering its
form. Example: bottle can be a noun, and also used as a
verb (to bottle). Abbreviation: New words are formed
through shortened forms of words or phrases. These
can be acronyms or initialism. Examples: Federal Bureau
of Investigation → FBI, NATO. Blending: A
method of
creating a new word by combining specific parts of two
words. Examples: smog (from smoke + fog); brunch
(from breakfast + lunch). Clipping: Shortening the long
form of a word while retaining its semantic content.
Examples: ad (from advertisement), lab (from
laboratory).
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Uzbek Word Formation Methods: Uzbek is a member
of the Turkic language family and possesses unique
morphological characteristics. The following are the
main word formation methods in Uzbek: Derivation:
Similar to English, new words in Uzbek are formed by
adding affixes, particularly suffixes, to a word stem.
Example: yozmoq (to write) + -
uvchi → yozuvchi (a
writer). Compounding: New words with a unified
meaning are formed by combining two independent
words. Example: kito
b (book) + doʻst (friend) →
kitobdoʻst (a person who reads many books,
"bookworm").
Affixation: As a common feature in both English and
Uzbek, affixation is the process of creating a new word
or altering the grammatical function of an existing
word by adding morphological elements such as
prefixes, suffixes, infixes, or circumfixes to a word stem
or root. Affixation is employed in both English and
Uzbek, but their structures, rules of application, and
frequency of use differ. Affixation in English: Prefixes:
Added to the beginning of a word. Example: un-
→
unable. Suffixes: Added to the end of a word. Example:
-
ly → slowly. Circumfixes: Not widely used in English.
Common Suffixes: -
ed: past tense → started;
-ing:
present continuous form → walking;
-
s: plural → dogs;
-able: adjective-
forming → unbelievable;
-ment: noun-
forming → improvement
Common Prefixes: un-: negation: unacceptably; re-
retake; pre-: predominant dis-: disagree.
Characteristics: English relies heavily on affixation.
Both derivational (creating new words) and inflectional
(creating grammatical forms) affixes are widely used.
The order of affixation is generally clear: prefixes are
added before the word stem, and suffixes after it.
Affixation in Uzbek. Uzbek is an agglutinative language,
where suffixes are widely used. Due to the nature of
this language, several suffixes can be added to a single
word. Prefixes are very rare in Uzbek and are almost
never used.
Common Suffixes: -lar: plural marker.
Example: daftar - daftarlar (notebooks); -ga: dative
case suffix. Example: daftar - daftarga (to the
notebook); -da: locative case suffix. Example: daftar
- daftarda (in the notebook); -ish: indicates action or
process. Example: oʻqi
-
oʻqish (reading);
-chilik: noun-
forming suffix indicating profession, activity, or state.
Example: oʻqituvchi
-
oʻqituvchilik (teaching).
Characteristics: Uzbek allows for the sequential
addition of multiple suffixes to a word stem. This
enables the expression of complex and rich semantic
meanings. Due to the agglutinative nature of the
language, each added suffix can significantly alter the
meaning of the word. Compared to English, Uzbek
often uses suffixes instead of separate words to
express
grammatical
meaning,
which
ensures
conciseness and clarity in the language.
Suffixes Forming Different Parts of Speech: a) Noun-
forming suffixes: English: -
ism → socialism;
-
er →
gardener; -
dom → boredom. Uzbek:
-
uvchi → uchuvchi
(uchmoq + uchi → “pilot”);
-
lik → yoshlik (yosh + lik →
“youth”
). b) Adjective-forming suffixes: English: -
able →
believable; -
less → useless;
-
ous → monotonous. Uzbek:
-
li → sutli (sut + li → “milky”);
-
siz → odobsiz (odob + siz
→ “rude”). c) Verb
-forming suffixes: English: -
ize →
minimize; -
ify → clarify. Uzbek:
-la/-
lan → gulla, uylan.
d) Adverb-forming suffixes: English: -
ly → softly, slowly.
Uzbek: Specific suffixes are less commonly used, but
forms created with -cha, -lab, -lik exist. Examples:
bolalarcha, sekinlik bilan, tinchlab. Uzbek: -lab
(toʻgʻrilab),
-ona (oqilona) suffixes. Word modification in
English is highly significant, as it is widely used by both
native and non-native speakers.
Compounds in English are sometimes written as a single
word (sunglasses), sometimes hyphenated (life-
threatening
—
this case is generally not observed in
Uzbek), and sometimes as two separate words (football
stadium). Composition (word formation through
compounding) is one of the most widespread word
formation methods in English. This method is also highly
effective and productive in Uzbek. Types of Compounds:
Closed Compounds: Words are combined without
spaces or hyphens. Examples: wheelchair, notebook.
Hyphenated Compounds: Words are linked by a hyphen.
Examples: sister-in-law, well-being. Open Compounds:
Words are written separately but retain a unified
meaning. Examples: ice cream, post office. Compounds
are widely used in daily speech and serve to express
objects, actions, or characteristics. The combination of
words results in the formation of unique lexical units.
Compounds across Parts of Speech: Noun + Noun:
Seafood = Sea + Food, Earphones = Ear + Phones. Uzbek
example: Mehmonxona = mehmon + xona -
mehmonxona (hall). Adjective + Noun / Adjective +
Adjective: Blackboard = Black + Board, Whitehouse =
White + House, Bitter-sweet = Bitter + Sweet. Uzbek
example: Oqsoqol = Oq + Soqol - oqsoqol (elders/white
beard). Noun + Verb: Haircut = Hair + Cut. Uzbek
example: Mehnatsevar = Mehnat + Sevar - mehnatsevar
(hardworking).
Back-formation is the process of forming a new word by
removing a prefix or suffix from an existing word. This
method is also called back-derivation because it forms a
new shape by simplifying an existing complex word.
English example: Examination → examine (the
-ation
suffix is removed). In Uzbek, back-formation occurs in
various forms. This process typically involves forming a
verb from a noun, or a noun from a verb. Examples:
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Yozuvchi (noun) → yozmoq (verb); Oʻquvchi (noun) →
oʻqimoq (verb). In these cases, a derived noun already
exists, and then a verb form is extracted from it. This
plays an important role in language development and
vocabulary expansion. Kitob (book) → Kitobxon
(reader). Here, the word "kitobxon," meaning "a
person who reads books," exists as a noun, and then
the word "kitobxona" (library, i.e., "a place where
books are read") is formed. By analyzing this process in
reverse, one can arrive at the original noun - kitob.
Conversion in English: In English, conversion often
occurs between nouns and verbs, meaning a word
changes its grammatical function based on context
without altering its meaning. Noun → Verb. Example:
to text (verb) -
text (noun). Usage: “I will text you
soon.” Verb → Noun: Example: call (verb) → a call
(noun). Adjective → Noun: Example: The rich (noun) <
r
ich (adjective). Usage: “We need to address the poor.”
Noun → Adjective: Example: winter (noun) → winter
vacations (adjective + noun). Usage: “We have winter
plans.”
Conversion in Uzbek: Conversion occurs less frequently
in Uzbek compared to English. However, in existing
cases, the grammatical function of the word is
expressed with various suffixes. Noun → Verb:
Example: yozish (noun, i.e., "writing/practice") is used
as a verb. Example: “Men insho yozyapman.” Verb →
Noun: Example: Yurish (verb, "to walk
") → yurish
(noun, "a walk, a stroll"). Example: “Kecha zerikarli
yurish boʻldi.” Adjective → Noun: Example: Boy
(adjective, "wealthy") → boylar (noun, "wealthy
people"). Example: “Boylar qo’llab quvvatlashadi.”
Noun → Adjective: Example: Kuz (noun, "season") →
kuz fasli (in attributive function). Usage: “Kuz fasli juda
goʻzal.”
CONCLUSION
The information above demonstrates that Uzbek is an
agglutinative language, where complex words are
created by adding multiple suffixes to a word. These
formed words express grammatical categories such as
tense, number, possession, and case within the word
itself. In contrast, English is an analytic language,
extensively utilizing word order, auxiliary verbs, and
various forms of inflection and derivation to express
grammatical meanings. Furthermore, despite English
and Uzbek belonging to different language families,
they share several commonalities at the syntactic level.
These include the use of a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO)
order in simple sentences, as well as the employment
of auxiliary verbs to express tense and aspect
categories, both characteristic of these languages.
Morphologically, similarities can be observed in the
use of affixes to modify word meaning. Specifically,
prefixes are widely used in English, while suffixes are
extensively used in Uzbek to express grammatical
meaning. Concurrently, similarities exist within word
formation methods, with compounding and derivation
being widely and productively utilized in both
languages.
It is also important to highlight the differences between
these two languages. To clarify, English is primarily an
analytic language, where grammatical relationships are
expressed through word order and auxiliary verbs.
Conversely, Uzbek belongs to the synthetic language
type, employing extensive inflectional paradigms in
both nouns and verbs.
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