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THE IMAGE OF THE MOTHER IN UZBEK AND RUSSIAN PROVERBS
Robiyabonu Furqatovna Maxmudova
Lecturer, Department of Russian Language and Literature,
Faculty of Languages, Bukhara State Pedagogical Institute
Abstract:
This article attempts a logical analysis of proverbs about women created in the
Russian and Uzbek languages. It discusses reflections on the similarities between proverbs in
Uzbek and Russian.
Keywords:
Proverb, epic, story, song, V.P. Zhukov, O. Safarov, "Mother is the pride of the
world", "Know your mother as the sun, know your father as the moon".
Mother! This word is so pleasant, sweet, affectionate, empowering, charming, and priceless.
The mother holds equal value for every nation. Therefore, all peoples around the world have
their own songs, proverbs, epics, stories, and fairy tales about mothers. Each nation creates wise
sayings and folk wisdom based on its rich history and life experience. This folk wisdom is
passed down from generation to generation orally, finding expression in proverbs, sayings, tales,
riddles, tongue twisters, and parables. These genres are among the ancient forms of folk oral
creativity, with deep roots stretching back many centuries.
Proverbs have been extensively studied by both foreign and Uzbek scholars. Russian scholar
V.P. Zhukov, having studied proverbs, notes: “It is difficult to determine exactly when proverbs
began to be used among the people; however, it is certain that they appeared a very long time
ago and have accompanied humanity throughout its entire existence” [3, 13]. Folklorist O.
Safarov, after examining proverbs, explains that regardless of their poetic or prose form, they
do not belong to either the epic or lyrical genres [5, 295]. The scholar states: “The word
‘maqol’ is derived from the Arabic word ‘qavvola,’ meaning ‘to say, to speak.’ Among the
people, there are expressions such as ‘Qavlida sobit’ (steadfast in speech) and ‘Qavlida
tuturuqsiz’ (inconstant in speech): the former implies being firm and resolute in words, while
the latter means not keeping one’s word. Thus, in the Uzbek language, the word ‘maqol’ has
two meanings: first, its literal meaning – ‘speech, utterance’; second, its terminological
meaning – a genre widely spread in folklore” [5, 290].
There is hardly any aspect of life that is not reflected in proverbs. The wider the thematic scope
of proverbs, the more diverse and varied their sources of formation are. Accordingly, this article
attempts to analyze Russian and Uzbek proverbs about mothers.
Every nation in the world possesses its own unique culture and customs. Even in how they
perceive and imagine the world, there are both similarities and differences among them. It is
important to emphasize that throughout all times, good deeds have been praised and bad deeds
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23
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condemned. Brave and noble people have been admired everywhere, while cowards have been
criticized. Due to such common traits in intercultural perspectives, proverbs that are similar and
convey the same meaning frequently appear. In Uzbek and Russian proverbs, special emphasis
is placed on relatives, particularly the image of the mother. This shows that in both Uzbek and
Russian folk proverbs, the priceless value of the mother, her creativity, and her readiness to do
everything for her child are vividly expressed.
In the proverbs of the Uzbek and Russian peoples, the history, mentality, generosity, tolerance,
commitment to justice, thirst for knowledge and hard work, hospitality, family values, love and
loyalty, as well as customs and traditions of these two nations are reflected. Through these
proverbs, the peoples have imparted lessons about their way of life to future generations.
In Russian, proverbs such as “Mat – vsyakomu delu golova” (Mother is the beginning of every
work), “Mat kormit detey, kak zemlya lyudey” (Just as the earth feeds people, mother feeds
children), “Matushka rodimaya – svecha neugasimaya” (My dear mother is my unquenchable
candle), “Materinskoye blagosloveniye v vode ne tonet i v ogne ne gorit” (A mother’s blessing
neither drowns in water nor burns in fire), “Pri solnse teplo, a pri materi dobro” (The sun gives
warmth, but goodness comes from mother), “Ptitsa raduyetsya vesne, a mladenes – materi” (A
bird rejoices in spring, and a baby in its mother), “Net takogo druzhka, kak rodnaya matushka”
(There is no better friend than one’s own mother), “Kto materi ne poslushayet — v bedu
popadet” (He who does not obey his mother will fall into trouble), and “Kakova mat, takova i
doch” (Like mother, like daughter) express attitudes toward mothers.
These proverbs clearly and concisely convey the services mothers provide in raising children,
the unparalleled power of a mother’s blessing, the fact that there is no better friend than one’s
own mother, and that a mother can give light to her child like an unquenchable candle.
In Uzbek, proverbs such as “Onaning allasi dunyoni tebratar” (A mother’s lullaby moves the
world), “Bolaning qo‘li shilinsa, onaning ko‘ngli shilinadi” (If a child’s hand is injured, the
mother’s heart aches), “Jannat onalar oyog‘i ostida” (Paradise lies beneath the feet of mothers),
“Ona bilan bola — gul bilan lola” (Mother and child are like a rose and a tulip), “Onaning
ko‘ngli bolada, bolaning ko‘ngli dalada” (The mother’s heart is with the child, the child’s heart
is in the field), “Onangni quyosh bilsang, otangni oy bil” (If you know your mother as the sun,
know your father as the moon), “Bola loy bo‘lsa, ona kulol” (If the child is clay, the mother is
the potter), “Ona qilsa zo‘rlikni, bola tortar xo‘rlikni” (If the mother does cruelty, the child
endures humiliation), “Otasi buzuqning biri buzuq, onasi buzuqning bari” (If the father is bad,
one is bad; if the mother is bad, all are bad), “Erka tutsa onasi, taltayadi bolasi” (If the mother
pampers, the child becomes spoiled), and “Onasiga qarab qizini ol” (Choose a daughter-in-law
by looking at her mother), among others, praise the relationship between mother and child, the
power of a mother’s lullaby, and a mother’s role as an example, a loving and incomparable
figure.
The proverbs about mothers created by both peoples are close to each other because the mother
is considered a creative and beloved person for both nations.
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The most delicate and beautiful expression of the human heart is love for the mother. This love
is reflected in Russian proverbs such as “Matushka rodimaya – svecha neugasimaya” (My dear
mother is my unquenchable candle), “Materinskoye blagosloveniye v vode ne tonet i v ogne ne
gorit” (A mother’s blessing neither drowns in water nor burns in fire), “Pri solnse teplo, a pri
materi dobro” (The sun gives warmth, but goodness comes from mother), and “Net takogo
druzhka, kak rodnaya matushka” (There is no friend as close and loving as your mother), as
well as in Uzbek proverbs like “Jannat onalar oyogi ostida” (Paradise lies beneath the feet of
mothers), “Onaning allasi dunyoni tebratar” (A mother’s lullaby moves the world), “Ona bilan
bola — gul bilan lola” (Mother and child are like a rose and a tulip), and “Ona – olam faxridir”
(Mother is the pride of the world). These proverbs express the attitude toward mothers in
concise and vivid imagery.
In conclusion, proverbs convey clear and concise ideas. Therefore, in proverbs, thoughts are
expressed precisely and succinctly as conclusions. There are close similarities between Uzbek
and Russian proverbs about mothers because, for both peoples, the mother is considered sacred
and beloved.
References:
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B.Jo’rayeva, O’zbek xalq maqollarining lingvistik asoslari. Toshkent, Akademnashr, 2019.
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