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TYPE
Original Research
PAGE NO.
56-59
DOI
OPEN ACCESS
SUBMITED
29 January 2025
ACCEPTED
28 February 2025
PUBLISHED
31 March 2025
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue 03 2025
COPYRIGHT
© 2025 Original content from this work may be used under the terms
of the creative commons attributes 4.0 License.
A Comparive Study of
Synonym Structure in
Uzbek And English
Bilingual Dictionaries
Nashirova Shakhnoza Burievna
Associate Professor, Karshi State University, PhD, Uzbekistan
Abstract
: Synonyms
—
words with similar meanings, but
in different forms
—
are an integral part of language
construction. The structure and presentation of these
synonyms, however, can vary across different linguistic
contexts. This comparative study focuses on the
organization of synonyms within Uzbek and English
bilingual dictionaries, aiming to identify problems with
their lexicography and giving suggestions.
Keywords:
True synonyms, similar meaning, near
synonyms, semantic closeness, thesauri, style and
register, lexicography.
Introduction:
Synonyms are also considered essential
parts in several types of lexical resources, such as
thesauri, word nets (Miller et al., 1990), and linguistic
ontologies (Jarrar, 2021; Jarrar, 2006) [1]. According to
Miller et al. (1990), “two expressions are synonymous in
a linguistic context if the substitution of one for the
other does not alter the truth value”.
Others might
refer to synonymy to be a “closely
-
related” relationship
between words, as used in distributional semantics, or
the so-called word embeddings (see e.g., Emerson,
2020). In this paper the organization of synonym sets
between two languages: English and Uzbek is
investigated. For this purpose we use an Uzbek
Synonym Dictionary, an English Synonym Dictionary and
Oxford Online Dictionary.
Synonymy is a lexical semantic relation, that is, a
relation between meanings of words. According to its
definition, synonyms are ‘words or expressions of the
same language that have the same or nearly the same
meaning in some or all senses’ (Inc., 2004). Cross
-
linguistically, the question that we are attempting to
answer in this work is what order bilingual dictionaries
follow when semantizing synonym words.
METHODS AND RESULTS
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Dictionaries have several criteria to define synonyms
effectively. Here are some of the main ones:
Semantic closeness: The most important factor is how
closely related the words are in meaning. Synonyms
should be truly interchangeable in most contexts.
Style and register: Synonyms can vary in formality or
the situations they're used in. A good dictionary will
often label synonyms as formal, informal, slang, etc.
Usage examples: Seeing synonyms used in sentences
can help users understand the subtle differences in
meaning and appropriate usage.
Connotations: Even close synonyms can have slightly
different
emotional
or
cultural
associations.
Dictionaries might hint at these differences in their
definitions.
Thesaurus or synonym list: A separate thesaurus
section is provided in some dictionaries or they include
a list of synonyms directly after the headword's
definition.
Dictionaries try to provide users with a clear and
helpful overview of a word's synonyms by considering
those factors.
There are a few different types of synonyms, indeed.
First, there are what we call "true synonyms". These
are words that can be used interchangeably in almost
any situation. They have the same basic meaning and
don't carry any special connotations. But finding such
synonyms can be tricky, even within the same
language. According to some scholars, true synonymic
pairs which can be interchangeably used are quite rare.
Words “motherland” and “fatherland” are the exact
examples. Everyone is happy in their fatherland or
Everyone is happy in their motherland. There is no
difference in meaning. Both mean a country where a
person as born.
Then, there are synonyms which are nearly the same
in meaning but have slightly different shades or
connotations. These are sometimes called "near
synonyms" or "loose synonyms". They might be used
in slightly different contexts or carry different
emotional weight.
Dive into a comparison of some words in to languages.
"Happy" and "glad" are given in one synonymic line of
bilingual dictionaries.
x
ursand a glad, merry, happy; pleased; ~ bo’lmoq, be
glad, be happy; be pleased; ~ qilmoq make glad, make
happy, make please, satisfy; ~lik satisfaction, pleasure,
happiness; fun, mirth. (Sh. Butaev, p 800).
While they both convey positive emotions, "happy -
shod, xursand" might suggest a general feeling of
contentment, while "glad - mamnun, minnatdor" often
implies pleasure about something specific. However, in
bilingual dictionaries, there are problems with
presenting, especially “near synonyms”. In other
words,
without explaining such underlying intricacies, bilingual
dictionaries present all synonymic sets, which in turn,
confuse the user in terms of choosing the one that suits
best in the context.
Another example, in the bilingual Uzbek-English
dictionary by Shavkat Butaev, for example, this
semantization is given.
qaramoq v 1) look at, glance; oynaga ~look at oneself in
the mirror;
2)nurse; look after;
3) look for (qidirmoq);
4) herd, graze;
5) support (oilaga); support, undergo a cure (kasalga).
(Sh. Butaev, p 754).
"Look" is a versatile word that can have a lot of
meanings. There are synonyms like see, glance, stare,
peek, and observe in English, each with its own subtle
difference.
Glance at - looking at someone or something for a short
time, ko’z tashlamoq
Stare at - looking at someone or something without
blinking eye, tikilmoq
Peek - looking at something suspiciously -
mo’ralamoq
The point is that these differences in synonymic
variations of the headword - look is not explained in the
dictionary. When a user looks up synonyms of look to
use in order to avoid repetition in their academic,
political or another writing, he/she is highly likely to
make mistake without knowing underlying intricacies of
the above explained synonyms.
Extract: I was peeking at him with admiration when he
was given a prize in the competition. Not peeking.
uy n 1) house; dam olish ~i rest home; modalar ~i
fashion house; 2) home; u ~da yo’q he is out; u ~dami ?
Is he in?; 3) room, flat; 4) (madaniy-maishiy idoralar)
bolalar~ i children’s home; madaniyat ~i Palace of
Culture. (Sh. Butaev, p 793)
As the translation and equivalent of the word uy, in
English, house is given in Uzbek-English bilingual
dictionary. When close attention paid, as the synonymic
sets, home, flat, room are presented. However, house
and home are different concepts.
house n /haʊs/ a building for human habitation,
especially one that consists of a ground floor and one or
more upper storeys. "my wife and I are moving to a new
house" (Oxford online dictionary)
home n /həʊm / the place where one lives
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permanently, especially as a member of afamily on
household. “the
floods forced many people to flee
their homes" (Oxford online dictionary).
Obviously,
these
words
cannot
be
used
interchangeably as a synonyms despite having close
meaning. In bilingual dictionaries, such subtle
differences should be explained. Understanding the
criteria for synonym order is important for effective
language learning and research.
✓
"Strong" also is a good one to look at.
In English, we have words like powerful, sturdy, robust,
and mighty that convey different shades of strength.
Some suggest physical power, while others imply
durability or forcefulness.
Now, in an Uzbek-English bilingual dictionary, you
might find that there are specific words for the
strength of a person, - kuch-quvvat, qurb the strength
of materials - chidamlilik, or the strength of an idea -
qat’iylik. The nuances within these categories might be
much more defined in Uzbek.
Sometimes some bilingual dictionaries fail to present
the degree of formality of a word. This semantization
is given in Sh. Butayev’s bilingual dicti
onary, p495:
regarding [ri'ga:din] prep. ... ga kelganda, ... haqida gap
ketganda; haqida
regardless [ri ga:dlas] a 1) pisand qilmoq.
This one is given in wisdom online dictionary:
regarding prep. /rɪˈɡɑːdɪŋ/ [formal] bo'yicha, borasida,
borada, haqida, doir, oid, to'g'rida, to'g'risida,
xususida, jihatdan, vuzasida(n).
The first dictionary do not show the register - the
degree of formality of regarding, but Wisdom
dictionary claim it to be formal.
Common Criteria for Synonym Order in dictionaries
Alphabetical Order: this is the most common method.
Synonyms are listed alphabetically, regardless of their
semantic relationship or frequency of use.
Semantic Similarity: Synonyms may be grouped based
on their closeness in meaning. This helps users quickly
find words with similar nuances.
Frequency of Use: more commonly used synonyms are
listed first, assuming that users will often seek the most
frequent alternatives.
Register or Style: depending on the specific context or
style in which they are typically used (e.g., technical,
literary, colloquial), synonyms might be classified.
DISCUSSION
The comparative analysis of languages is a key method
to examine any language phenomenon. It helps to
shed more light on the structural, semantic, stylistic,
expressive aspects of words in a language [2]. The text
discusses the concept of synonymy in Tatar and English.
It argues that while Tatar relational adjectives indicate
properties through relationships, they are not limited in
their ability to form synonymous rows within their
semantic structures. The study found that similar
notions are expressed differently by synonymous items
in the two languages. In some cases, a single Tatar
synonymic row may be expressed by a single English
lexeme or by several non-synonymous lexemes.
Another work by Tsoraeva Olesya Igorevna also worth
considering [3].The text discusses the concept of
synonymy and its relationship to polysemy within the
semantic field of "success" in Russian and English. It
highlights that some lexical units have multiple
meanings, making it necessary to analyze their
definitions and classifications to understand the
nuances of synonymy. The author suggests that further
research on polysemy within the semantic field of
"success" can contribute to a better understanding of
synonymy and its complexities.
CONCLUSION
This comparative study has revealed that the
organization of synonyms in Uzbek and English bilingual
dictionaries exhibits both similarities and differences.
While both languages employ various strategies to
group synonyms, discrepancies in the presentation and
classification of these words can lead to challenges for
learners and researchers. To enhance the effectiveness
of bilingual dictionaries, it is recommended that
lexicographers adopt a more consistent and
comprehensive approach to synonym organization,
incorporating both semantic and syntactic relationships.
By addressing these issues, bilingual dictionaries can
better serve as valuable tools for language learning,
translation, and research.
REFERENCES
Mustafa Jarrar, Eman Karajah, Muhammad Khalifa
Khaled Shaalan. Extracting synonyms from Bilingual
Dictionaries.
Lyutsiya Khismatullina.Comparative-Analysis Based
Study of Synonymous Relational Adjectives in Tatar and
English. Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University.
Tsoraeva Olesya Igorevna. Comparative Study of
Synonymic Relations within Semantic Field “Success” /
“Success” in the Russian and English Languages.
Moscow
city
ped.agogic
universityet
Olesya
vr15@rambler.en.
Dictionaries
Shavkat Butayev 80 000 words and expressions,
Tashkent - 2013
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O’zbek tilining sinonimlar lug’ati, Azim Hojiyev,
Toshkent - 1974
Dictionatry of Oxford Online
Wisdom Online Dictionary
