THE LINGUOCULTURAL FEATURES OF CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS IN UZBEK PERIODICALS

Abstract

This article investigates the linguocultural features of conceptual metaphors in Uzbek periodicals (newspapers and magazines). Using cognitive linguistics and linguocultural discourse analysis, the study examines how metaphorical framing helps media discourse construct meaning about abstract domains such as development, governance, national identity, and the future. The analysis shows that Uzbek periodicals repeatedly draw on culturally resonant source domains—such as journeys (progress), construction (reforms), living organisms (institutions), heritage (identity), and light/hope (future optimism). These metaphors are not merely rhetorical devices; they function as cognitive mechanisms and persuasive strategies that reflect cultural values, moral evaluations, and collective ideology. (Kövecses, 2002, 2010; Lakoff & Johnson, 1980)