Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika –
Зарубежная лингвистика и
лингводидактика – Foreign
Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Journal home page:
https://inscience.uz/index.php/foreign-linguistics
Specific features of the road chronotope related to culture
bond expressions and folklore in the example of American
and Uzbek literature
Ganjina YUNUSOVA
1
Bukhara State University
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received February 2025
Received in revised form
10
March 2025
Accepted 25 March 2025
Available online
25 April 2025
Roads have long been used in literary studies as a symbol of
spiritual journey. The symbol of the road can be the main theme
or background element of the work, but it is also an important
factor in directing the plot lines. While studying the signs of
national mentality through the chronotope of the road in
American and Uzbek literature, we have witnessed that the road
and setting out on the road, as well as the journey, have their
own meaning and symbolic load, depending on the nationality
of each society. The values of the American people, built on the
pursuit of freedom and independence, democratic views, are
manifested through the chronotope of the road. In Uzbek
literature, the chronotope of the road reflects more spiritual
directions developed on the basis of nationality. Historical
journeys of Uzbeks, pilgrimages, as well as images such as
setting out on the road for the purpose of mutual
communication and overcoming loneliness, reflect the social
and religious life of the people.
2181-3701/© 2024 in Science LLC.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-3701-vol3-iss4
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:
chronotope,
the road chronotope,
folklore,
culture bond words,
American literature,
Uzbek literature,
traditional aspects.
Amerika va o‘zbek adabiyoti namunasida milliy kolorit va
folklorga xos bo‘lgan yo‘l xronotopining badiiy xususiyatlari
ANNOTATSIYA
Kalit so‘zlar:
xronotop,
yo‘l xronotopi,
folklor,
milliy kolorit,
Yo‘llar ma’naviy sayohat timsoli sifatida uzoq vaqtlardan
beri adabiyotshunoslikda qo‘llanilib kelinmoqda. Yo‘l timsoli
asarning asosiy mavzusi yoki fon elementi bo‘lishi mumkin,
ammo syujet chiziqlarini yo‘naltirish uchun muhim omil bo‘lib
1
PhD Student, Bukhara State University. E-mail: g.r.yunusova@buxdu.uz
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 4 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
2
xos so‘zlar,
amerika adabiyoti,
o‘zbek adabiyoti,
an’anaviy jihatlar.
sanaladi. Amerika va o‘zbek adabiyotida yo‘l xronotopi orqali
milliy mentalitetga xos belgilarni tadqiq qilar ekanmiz, yo‘l va
yo‘lga chiqishning, sayohatning har bir jamiyatning milliyligidan
kelib chiqqan holda o‘ziga xos ma’nosi va ramziy yuki
mavjudligining guvohi bo‘ldik. Amerika xalqining erkinlik va
mustaqillikka intilish, demokratik qarashlar asnosida qurilgan
qadriyatlari, yo‘l xronotopi orqali namoyon bo‘ladi. O‘zbek
adabiyotida esa yo‘l xronotopi ko‘proq milliylik poydevorida
rivojlangan ma’naviy yo‘nalishlarni aks ettiradi. O‘zbeklarning
tarixiy sayohatlari, ziyorat safarlari, shuningdek, o‘zaro muloqot
va yolg‘izlikdan chiqish maqsadida yo‘lga chiqish kabi tasvirlar,
xalqning ijtimoiy va diniy hayotini aks ettiradi.
Особенности дорожного хронотопа, связанного с
выражениями культурной связи и фольклором на
примере американской и узбекской литературы
АННОТАЦИЯ
Ключевые слова:
хронотоп,
дорожный хронотоп,
фольклор, слова
культурной связи,
американская литература,
узбекская литература,
традиционные аспекты.
Дороги издавна использовались в литературоведении
как символ духовного путешествия. Символ дороги может
быть
главной
темой
или
фоновым
элементом
произведения, но он также является важным фактором
направления
сюжетных
линий.
Изучая
признаки
национального менталитета через хронотоп дороги в
американской и узбекской литературе, мы стали
свидетелями того, что дорога и выход в путь, а также
путешествие имеют свое собственное значение и
символическую нагрузку в зависимости от национальности
каждого общества. Ценности американского народа,
построенные на стремлении к свободе и независимости,
демократических взглядах, проявляются через хронотоп
дороги. В узбекской литературе хронотоп дороги отражает
более духовные направления, развивавшиеся на основе
национальности. Исторические путешествия узбеков,
паломничества, а также такие образы, как выход в путь с
целью взаимного общения и преодоления одиночества,
отражают общественную и религиозную жизнь народа.
INTRODUCTION
Different nations have formed various beliefs and traditions related to the road
and a number of rituals, legends, and folklore works expressing this belief have emerged
and are still preserved today, and they also attract attention with their influence on
modern literature. Usually, Uzbeks give names such as “Yo‘lchi, Yo‘lli, Safar, Safargul” to a
baby born on the road. This tradition is partly observed in American culture, where there
are many names for people who are associated with the etiquette and traditions of
setting off on a journey. For example, let's take the name "Layne" (Layne), usually this
name is given to a baby born on the road, in addition, with the good intention of wishing
a smooth life path, the baby can be called "Layne". [3:197] This name has Latin roots, and
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 4 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
3
the most interesting is that it can be given to both boys and girls. When translated
literally, it means a path, a road. The name Waylon (Wayln) is one of the names that is
currently customary to give to babies born in America. The root of this name is the word
"way" – that is, a path, in Old English it was also used to refer to the owner of a house on
the side of the road. Nowadays, it is given as a sign that adventures on the road and the
spirit of travel do not leave a person. [2:145] The following name is also given to children
who set off from a certain destination and were born during the journey. The name
Travis, which means crossroads, junction of roads, crossroads, has its roots in the Old
French language, and is one of the most common names in American culture today.
This name also symbolically acknowledges the road and directly refers to the path of a
person's life.
In addition, there are a number of customs related to road etiquette that have
become deeply embedded in our literature and culture. For example, a person who has
set off on a long journey or on a business trip for some reason is given a bite of bread
before the road, not to sweep after a person who has set off, and not to turn back from
the road. [4:48]
LITERATURE REVIEW
In literary criticism, theoretical problems of epic time, artistic time and artistic
space, and artistic poetics of the chronotope have been studied for a number of years.
The issues of chronotope were first discussed in scientific and theoretical works by
M. Bakhtin, and later in Russia by D. Likhachev, N. Shutaya, N. Gai, A. Nikolaev, B. Meilakh,
E. Meletinsky, V. Khalizev; In Europe, H. Meyerhoff, A. James, A. Rodriguez, N. Bemong,
J. Culler, M. Atkins; In North America, J. Blommaert, B. Koinen and others analyzed the
categorical and scientific-theoretical problems of the chronotope. [7:34]
METHODS AND MATERIALS
This following paper is written through qualitative data collection. The scientific
works of M. Bakhtin, A. Temirbolat, B. Turayeva and other scholars are analyzed,
compared and summarized through the analyzing extracts from the modern literature
and folklore of American and Uzbek literature. All materials have been compared
typologically.
DISCUSSIONS
Uzbek folklore, the depiction of such customs, which were formed under the
influence of religious beliefs related to the road, is observed in written works as
ethnographic folklorism. In written and modern literature, the interpretation of the road
in various symbolic meanings is also noticeable.
Folk beliefs about the road are very ancient, deeply embedded in the centuries-old
lifestyle and culture of people. Therefore, customs and beliefs related to the road are
valuable in that they can provide information about the ancient mythological ideas of
each people, their unique lifestyle, and the culture of the past.
Rituals related to the road have their own history and development. Customs and
traditions related to the road are diverse. One of them is the custom of following a
deceased person on their last journey. It is known that when a person's soul departs and
he travels to the world, the living accompanies him on the "last journey" – the path to
nowhere. Such an observance is called a "funeral ceremony", and in Americans it is called
a "funeral ceremony". Many acquaintances and relatives gather to say goodbye to the
deceased before their final journey. Then they take him to the cemetery.
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 4 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
4
The rituals of following the deceased on their last journey have taken different
forms in different periods. That is, they have changed depending on socio-historical
development. But the question of how the deceased enters the next world (on foot or
riding a donkey), what they will go with, who or what they will go with, has always been
a constant concern of every nation. Therefore, the forms of following the deceased on
their last journey have been formed and implemented in different forms in different
periods and places based on the religious and mythological beliefs, worldview,
imagination, socio-cultural lifestyle, and customs of each nation.
To this day, when the coffin is laid out in the morgue, Uzbeks hold three loaves of
bread with a lid and let the women who have come to offer their condolences take a bite,
or the pallbearers and coffin bearers take five loaves of bread with the coffin for the
mourners. This bread is called "noni roh," that is, "bread of the journey."
In Uzbek folklore, the depiction of such customs, formed under the influence of
religious beliefs related to the road, is observed in written works as ethnographic
folklorism. In both written and modern literature, the interpretation of the road in
various symbolic meanings is noticeable.
Folk beliefs related to the road are very ancient, and they have been deeply
embedded in the centuries-old lifestyle and culture of people. Therefore, customs and
religious beliefs related to the road are valuable in that they can provide information
about the ancient mythological ideas of each people, their unique lifestyle, and the
culture of the past. Funeral ceremonies have their own history and development. There
are many customs and traditions associated with the funeral. One of them is the custom
of following a deceased person on their final journey. It is known that when a person's
soul departs and he travels to the world, the living accompanies him on his "last journey"
– a path that cannot be followed. Such a procession is called a "ta’ziya marosimlari" and
in Americans it is called a "funeral ceremony". It is where many acquaintances and
relatives gather to say goodbye to the deceased before his final journey. Then he is taken
to the cemetery. [8:83]
The ceremonies of following the deceased on his final journey have taken different
forms in different periods. That is, they have changed depending on socio-historical
development. But the question of how the deceased would enter the afterlife (on foot or
riding a donkey), what they would wear, and who or what they would go with has always
been a constant concern of every nation.
Crossroads also play an important role in American literature and folklore. In
American literature, especially in the first quarter of the 20th century, standing at a
crossroads or a time of change was used as a metaphor in many works. For example, in
African-American literature, a "crossroad" often symbolizes racial and social changes, the
search for identity, or major decisions related to society. In poetry and prose, it highlights
the theme of choice, while in folklore, in a symbolic sense, it is characterized by the area
where these two worlds meet and the boundaries such as "neither here nor there", "in
the middle". Crossroads, according to Americans, are places where negotiations and
agreements are made with the devil. The famous poet, songwriter, blues singer – Robert
Leroy Johnson, is believed to have sold his soul to the devil at local crossroads, and
legends are created about this great man, who in exchange for his skill [4:2]
“I went down to the crossroads, fell down on my knees,
Asked the Lord above, 'Have mercy, now, save poor Bob if you please.
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 4 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
5
The artist's supposed agreement at the crossroads is immortalized in his song
"Cross Road Blues," which tells the story of a man in despair, caught between life and
death, trying to find a way out of his suffering. The idea of the crossroads as a place of
mysterious decision and transformation has become a powerful symbol in blues music
and American folklore.”
The symbol of the road is found in almost all genres of Uzbek folklore. There are
riddles and proverbs about it. Also, in songs and fairy tales, epics and legends and stories, the
road motif attracts special attention. For example, in proverbs, the motif of the road and
choosing a companion for the road is especially emphasized. They also teach the etiquette of
setting out on a journey. For example, in them, the proverbs “Yo‘l so‘ramay yo‘lga chiqma”,
“Yo‘l azobi -go‘r azobi”, “Yo‘l bilmasang yo‘lchiga boq”, teach people to be careful when
setting out on a journey. Some proverbs say that it is advisable to set out on a journey with a
companion, and warn that a bad companion can be an enemy to a person and bring
misfortune to him. “Yo‘lga chiqsang, yo‘ldoshli chiq”, “Yomon yo‘ldosh yov bo‘lar, Ravon
yo‘lda g‘ov bo‘lar”, “Yomon yo‘ldoshdan bir chekim nos yaxshi”, “Yo‘lga chiqsang, yaroqli
chiq, Yolg‘iz chiqmay, hamrohli chiq”, “Yo‘ldoshing ola qarg‘a bo‘lsa, yemishing go‘ng bo‘ladi”,
“Yo‘l uzoq bo’lsa, yo‘ldoshingdan ko‘r”, “Yo‘ldosh aybini yo‘l ochar” are the main themes
related with road traditions which come across in Uzbek proverbs.
To sum up, the road chronotope is one of the most enduring structures in
traditional storytelling, in both literatures, serving as a vehicle for myth, moral
instruction, and cultural memory. Whether in heroic epics, folktales, religious journeys,
or trade routes, the road remains a powerful metaphor for growth, encounter, and
transformation in human tradition. In both, American and Uzbek literatures, there are
majority of valuable cultural heritage that road serves as a bridge to bind and transfer
them to the target culture.
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