LINGUOCOGNITIVE FEATURES OF CONTEXTUAL ANTONYMS IN THE ENGLISH AND UZBEK LANGUAGES
Keywords:
Keywords: contextual antonyms, linguocognitive analysis, cognitive linguistics, semantic opposition, discourse context, conceptual contrast, pragmatic meaning, English language, Uzbek language, cross-linguistic comparison.Abstract
Abstract: The present article investigates the linguocognitive features of
contextual antonyms in the English and Uzbek languages from a comparative and
interdisciplinary perspective. Unlike conventional lexical antonyms, which are fixed
and systemically encoded in the language, contextual antonyms emerge dynamically
within discourse as a result of cognitive operations, pragmatic intentions, and
situational constraints. The study is grounded in the theoretical frameworks of
cognitive linguistics, linguoculturology, and discourse analysis, viewing language as a
reflection of human conceptualization and mental categorization of reality. In this
regard, contextual antonymy is interpreted not merely as a semantic opposition, but as
a cognitively motivated mechanism through which speakers conceptualize contrast,
evaluation, and categorization in context. The research aims to identify the cognitive
principles that underlie the formation and interpretation of contextual antonyms in
English and Uzbek, and to reveal both universal and language-specific features of this
phenomenon. Particular attention is paid to such linguocognitive mechanisms as
conceptual opposition, profiling and backgrounding, metaphorical and metonymic
mapping, scalar evaluation, and frame-based interpretation. The analysis demonstrates
that contextual antonyms are often activated through shared background knowledge,
cultural models, and pragmatic inferences, rather than through direct lexical
opposition. As a result, the recognition of antonymic relations depends heavily on
discourse context and the interlocutors’ cognitive competence.
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