“
Global lingvistika: yangi yondashuvlar va tadqiqotlar”
mavzusidagi xalqaro ilmiy-amaliy anjuman
~ 422 ~
LANGUAGE, CULTURE, AND SOCIETY: AN ETHNOLINGUISTIC AND
SOCIOLINGUISTIC PERSPECTIVE ON UZBEK POLITENESS
Abdurasulova Ezoza Tolibjon kizi
1st year student of the Faculty of Oriental Philology Uzbek State
World Languages University
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Abstract:
This thesis focuses on the grammatical and lexical means of
expressing respect in Uzbek language. The analysis uses sociolinguistic,
ethnolinguistic and pragmatic methods to examine how societal norms and cultural
background shape the language.
Keywords:
Politeness norms, sociolinguistics, ethnolinguistics, pragmatics,
Uzbek language, culture, societal norms.
Among many other cultures, Asian has long been known for its regard for
politeness. The use of language here is such a crucial matter that it will most likely
form a person's standpoint in society, whether one will be accepted or rejected,
successful or unsuccessful, and whether one will have a large audience listening and
following or not. This is called the
"face"
[2, 1]. The
face
is what a person wants to
preserve in order to have a good spot in the community they want to or already
belong to.
In the Uzbek language, the word
"hushmuomalalik"
will be the equivalent of
"politeness" in English. It was defined by Hasanov and Gulomov [3, 1] as a moral
norm based on strict order: it requires not hurting others, not saying bad things to
anyone, respecting opponents when entering into debate, being free from rudeness
and vulgarity, and not giving way to emotions when conversing. This is quite a
detailed and, at the same time, very broad term suggesting objective and subjective
morals. Through a historical lens, its origin can trace back to Islamic civilization,
where the Holy Quran and Hadith provide clear guidance on social conduct, such as
being respectful toward the elderly, family and friends, as well as, abstaining from
frivolous speech and commit to using language ethically, avoiding harm to others.
In a manner, various Islamic scholars have emphasized that an individual
possesses a bond of soul and language. Abu Hamid Muhammad Al-Ghazali says in
his "Revival of Religious Sciences" (Ihya Uhum al-Din): "Dealing with others needs
understanding not just the essential truth of the heart, but also its state and condition."
By which he arguably means a person communicating with others does not simply
utter a word – he shows his character, the state of his heart. In modern days, though,
“
Global lingvistika: yangi yondashuvlar va tadqiqotlar”
mavzusidagi xalqaro ilmiy-amaliy anjuman
~ 423 ~
the concept of politeness is more in line with tactfulness and power. To provide a real
case, a 1993 study under R.L. Krachevsky, "If you are a boss," using 110
businessmen, concluded that 57.14% of them placed a high value on following
speaking manners and discouraged their workers from being impolite (85.71%) [3,
2].
Uzbek linguistic heritage contains numerous lexemes that function as politeness
markers, such as
"opa"
(a young or middle-aged woman, typically older than the
addresser),
"aka"
(the cross-gender antonym of
opa
),
"amaki"
(an umbrella term
specifying a male who is significantly older than the addresser),
"ona"
(directly
translated as
mother
, an elderly woman), and etc. They can be used for family
members, as well as strangers [1, 1]. Conventionally, the 2nd person pronoun
"sen"
is
used in its plural form to talk to anyone outside the family and close friend groups.
Hasanov and Gulomov [3, 3] even state that a child older than 9 years old could be
called by
"siz"
. This rule also applies to the 3rd person pronoun "you" and the verb in
that sentence pattern, turning into
"ular"
in conversation with elders or members of
authority, e.g., "Prezidentimiz Sh.M. Mirziyoyev AQSh Prezidenti bilan bo'lgan
uchrashuvdan qaytdilar." (Our president, I.A. Karimov, has arrived from a meeting
with the president of the USA.) Moreover, social expressions, at the time of greeting
a group of working men with
"Hormanglar"
(May you tire not) to what they must say
"Sog' bo'ling"
(So you do not) or
"Bor bo'ling"
(So be to you). They have one notable
peculiarity: they retain their meaning, even when spoken with an angry tone [3, 4].
The question arises as to what is the driving force behind all of these? It is the
language traditions preserved by years and the societal unity in maintaining them, in
order to project a "positive face" [2, 2] and, most importantly, to have a sense of
belonging: to respect and be respected, in return.
Ultimately, Uzbek "politeness" is a complex product of cultural evolution,
deeply rooted in a spiritual core and outwardly defined through a carefully
constructed social shell that individuals are expected to emdiv.
References:
1.
Alimova D. 2022. Lexical means of expressing politeness // Scientific-
Practical Conference on “Issues of Teaching Oriental Languages” 2 (24). – 2022. – P.
542-555.
2.
Brown P., Stephen C. Levinson Politeness: Some Universals in
Language Usage. – Cambridge UP, 1987. – P. 61-62, 70.
3.
Husanov B., Gulomov V. Muomala madaniyati. Oliy o‘quv yurtlari
talabalari uchun darslik / O‘zbekiston Respublikasi oliy va o‘rta maxsus ta’lim
vazirligi. O‘zbekiston Milliy universiteti. – T.: “Ta’lim nashriyoti”, 2009. – B. 24,
28-29, 77, 81.
