Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika –
Зарубежная лингвистика и
лингводидактика – Foreign
Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Journal home page:
https://inscience.uz/index.php/foreign-linguistics
Some thoughts on the semantic-contextual composition of
polysemous words in English and Uzbek languages
Umida SULTANOVA
1
Urgench State University
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received August 2024
Received in revised form
10 August 2024
Accepted 25 September 2024
Available online
15 October 2024
This article analyzes the semantic and contextual
composition of polysemous words in English and Uzbek.
Drawing on linguistic theory, it examines the polysemantic
properties of words, the formation of contextual meanings in
various language units, and the challenges they present in the
translation process. A comparative analysis of polysemous
words in English and Uzbek is conducted, and practical
recommendations are offered based on modern approaches in
linguistics.
2181-3701/© 2024 in Science LLC.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-3701-vol2-iss5-pp194-197
This is an open-access article under the Attribution 4.0 International
(CC BY 4.0) license (
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.ru
Keywords:
polysemy,
semantic composition,
context,
English,
Uzbek,
comparative linguistics,
translation theory.
Ingliz va o‘zbek tillarida ko‘p ma’noli so‘zlarning
semantik-kontekstual tarkibiga oid ayrim mulohazalar
ANNOTATSIYA
Kalit so‘zlar:
polisemiya,
semantik tarkib,
kontekst,
ingliz tili,
o‘zbek tili,
qiyosiy tilshunoslik,
tarjima nazariyasi.
Mazkur maqolada ingliz va o‘zbek tillaridagi ko‘p ma’noli
so‘zlarning semantik-kontekstual tarkibi tahlil qilinadi.
Lingvistik nazariya asosida so‘zning polisemantik xususiyatlari,
turli til birliklarining kontekstual ma’no hosil qilishi va ularning
tarjima jarayonida yuzaga keladigan muammolari ko‘rib
chiqiladi. Ingliz va o‘zbek tillarining ko‘p ma’nolilik jihatlari
qiyosiy tahlil qilinib, tilshunoslikdagi zamonaviy yondashuvlar
asosida amaliy tavsiyalar beriladi.
1
Teacher, Urgench State University. E-mail: umidasultanova@gmail.com
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Issue – 2 № 5 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
195
Некоторые мысли о семантико-контекстуальном
составе многозначных слов в английском и узбекском
языках
АННОТАЦИЯ
Ключевые слова:
полисемия,
семантический состав,
контекст,
английский язык,
узбекский язык,
сопоставительное
языкознание,
теория перевода.
В
данной
статье
анализируется
семантико-
контекстуальный состав многозначных слов в английском
и узбекском языках. На основе лингвистической теории
рассматриваются полисемантические свойства слов,
формирование
контекстного
значения
различных
языковых единиц и их проблемы в процессе перевода.
Проводится
сопоставительный
анализ
аспектов
многозначных слов в английском и узбекском языках, а
также даются практические рекомендации на основе
современных подходов в языкознании.
INTRODUCTION
Polysemy, a linguistic phenomenon where a single word has multiple related
meanings, plays a significant role in shaping language systems. A polysemy is typically
defined as a word with multiple meanings or lexico-semantic variants (LSV), which are
frequently linked by meaning continuity within a semantic area (Davlatov, 2019).
Polysemy is a central concept in lexical semantics, reflecting the richness and flexibility of
language. Polysemy is the association of one word with two or more distinct meanings,
and polysemy is a word or phrase with multiple meanings (Karimov, 2015). The word
"polysemy" comes from the Greek for "many signs." The adjective forms of the word
include polysemous or polysemic (James,1983). Beretta (2005) defines polysemy as the
capacity for a word or phrase to have multiple related meanings. Both English and Uzbek
languages possess numerous polysemous words, making their study crucial for
understanding linguistic diversity and translation practices. In English, polysemy is
marked by lexical flexibility influenced by syntax and idiomatic expressions, while in
Uzbek, morphology and syntactic structure play significant roles. Hurford (2007)
describes polysemy as a word with numerous very closely related senses. In other words,
a native speaker of the language has clear intuitions about how different concepts are
related to one another. For example: the “mouth” mouth of a person and the mouth of the
river, here they both mean “an opening of from the interior of some solid mass to the
outside”. If one considers the varieties of polysemy, it is known that polysemous senses
have motivated relationships with each other.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Polysemy refers to the coexistence of multiple meanings within a single word form.
According to Lyons (1995), polysemy reflects the evolution of language as meanings
branch out from a core sense. The polysemantic nature of language and the multiplicity of
words is one of the important directions of linguistic analysis. Each language forms the
meanings of words through its semantic system and contextual content. The word
“good”
has many meanings. For example, if a man were to shoot his grandmother at a range of
five hundred yards, I would call him a good shot, but not necessarily a good man. “Now,
the kitchen was the room in which we were sitting, the room where Mama did hair and
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Issue – 2 № 5 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
196
washed clothes, and where each of us bathed in a galvanized tub. But the word has
another meaning, and the 'kitchen' I'm speaking of now is the very kinky bit of hair at the
back of the head, where the neck meets the shirt collar. If there ever was one part of our
African past that resisted assimilation, it was the kitchen” (Beretta, 2005).
Although polysemantic words in English and Uzbek are phonetically and
morphologically similar, their semantic content and use in context have different
characteristics. For example, the English word
“head”
can mean: a) A div part (e.g.
She
shook her head
); b) A leader (e.g.
He is the head of the department
); CO A top position (e.g.
The ship was heading north
);
In Uzbek, the word
“oyoq”
displays similar versatility: a) A div part (e.g.
Uning
oyog‘i og‘riyapti
); b) A furniture leg (e.g.
Stulning oyog‘i sinibdi
); c) A metaphorical
endpoint (e.g.
Masalaning oxirgi oyog‘i shu
); These examples demonstrate that polysemy
arises from metaphorical extensions and contextual meanings.
In English, the interpretation of polysemous words often relies heavily on syntactic
structures and collocations. Let’s analyse the word “
light”
means
:
a) physical illumination
(e.g.
The room was filled with light
); b) weightlessness (e.g.
This bag is light
). c) easy or
mild (e.g.
She made a light joke
). The context provided by surrounding words
disambiguates the intended meaning. Idiomatic expressions, such as
“make light of
something”
, further complicate the semantic landscape by introducing culturally specific
interpretations.
In Uzbek, morphology and affixation play a larger role in modifying meanings. For
example, the word in Uzbek “
qalin
is used in different contexts: a) thickness (e.g.
Qalin
devor
– A thick wall); b) Strength of relationship (e.g.
Qalin do‘st
– A close friend);
c) Density (e.g.
Qalin tuman
– A dense fog);
Unlike English, the Uzbek language employs suffixes to clarify or extend meanings.
Additionally, contextual markers such as verb forms and object agreements provide cues
for interpretation. Both languages demonstrate that context is the primary determinant
of meaning in polysemous words. Cultural and metaphorical extensions influence the
semantic range of words in both languages. However, English polysemy often relies on
idiomatic usage, requiring a deeper understanding of collocations and phrasal contexts.
Uzbek polysemy tends to exhibit clearer morphological markers. Translating polysemous
words between English and Uzbek often requires finding equivalent expressions rather
than direct word-for-word correspondence. For instance, the English word “
bank”
denotes as a financial institution (e.g.
I went to the bank to deposit money
) and a river
edge (e.g.
The boat was tied to the river bank
). In contrast, the Uzbek word “
sohil”
means a
river edge but the word “
bank”
means a
financial institution. In such cases, the translator
must rely on contextual cues to select the appropriate equivalent.
Now, we might analyze the features of polysemantic words by comparing
examples of Uzbek and English polysemantic words with the examples taken from the
stories by O’Henry. e.g. “golden hair” – “Besides Della has beautiful golden hair”.
The word “golden” means: a) having a bright yellow color like gold; b) a golden
opportunity – a good chance to get something valuable or to be very successful; c) golden
boy/girl – someone who is popular and successful; d) a golden period is one of great
happiness or success: golden years, golden days.
As we can see that there are many meanings of “golden” whereas an author used
the word to describe a woman’s hair. In the Uzbek language, the word “oltin” (tilla) has
various meanings like “oltin soch”, “oltin kalit”, “tilla bola”, “tilla fikr” and we can also use
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Issue – 2 № 5 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
197
the word “oltin” to describe like this, and translate the sentence into Uzbek with an
equivalent: “Shuningdek, Dellaning tillarang sochlari bor”. The structure of this word is
formed by a derivative word “tilla+rang”.
“Shone brilliantly” – “Her eyes shone brilliantly”. Brilliantly adv (of brilliant):
a) bright – brilliant light or color is very bright and strong; b) clever – extremely clever
and skillful.
In Uzbek the word “olmos” is interpreted in various contexts and has different
meanings: a) olmos (qimmatbaho tosh: diamond); b) yorug’, yorqin (shine); c) aqlli
(clever); d) mukammal (perfect). The word “olmos” (diamond) can be translated in the
sentences in Uzbek to give the correct meaning of the sentence such as “Uning ko’zlari
charaqlab ketdi” or “Uning ko’zlari olmosdek chaqnab ketdi”.
Hence, polysemous words present unique challenges for translators due to their
multiple meanings and semantic features, which vary between languages. In English,
polysemous words tend to have broader meanings that can be derived from context,
while in Uzbek, they tend to have more specific meanings. Translating polysemous words
requires careful consideration of the context of use, cultural and linguistic differences
between languages, and effective translation methods. To achieve accurate translations
of polysemous words, translators must rely on a combination of methods, including using
context clues, consulting specialized dictionaries, and relying on their own linguistic and
cultural knowledge. Paraphrasing and rewording are also effective methods to convey
the intended meaning of the verb accurately.
CONCLUSION
Studying polysemous words in English and Uzbek highlights the interplay between
semantics and context. While the phenomenon is universal, the mechanisms and markers
differ across languages. Understanding these nuances is essential for effective
translation, language teaching, and cross-cultural communication. Future research can
expand on this foundation by exploring how digital tools and AI technologies address
polysemy in multilingual settings.
REFERENCES:
1.
Beretta, A. Et al. (2005). The Effects of Homonymy and Polysemy on Lexical
Access: an MEG Study. Cognitive Brain Research.
2.
Davlatov, M. (2019). Polysemy in Uzbek language: Linguistic and cognitive
aspects. Oriental Studies, 1(45), 79-88.
3.
Hurford, J. R., Heasley, B., & Smith, M. B. (2007).
Semantics: a coursebook
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4.
James, R. (1983). Semantics: a Course book. Cambridge University Press.
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Karimov, B. (2015). Semantic peculiarities of Uzbek verbs. Journal of Language
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Lyons, J. (1995). Grammar and meaning.
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