NUMERICAL COMPONENT PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS IN KHOREZM DIALECTS OF UZBEK: SEMANTIC CLASSIFICATION AND STYLISTIC FUNCTIONS

Phraseological units constitute a vital component of language, reflecting a community’s historical experience, customs, mentality, and worldview. The Uzbek language, particularly its regional dialects, possesses a rich phraseological inventory that remains insufficiently studied. This paper investigates phraseological units containing numerical components (numerical phraseologisms) in the Khorezm dialects of Uzbek. Drawing on fieldwork data and dialectological sources, the study identifies, classifies, and analyzes these expressions according to their semantic groups, stylistic functions, and formation patterns. The findings reveal that numerals in Khorezm dialectal phraseologisms predominantly function as symbolic or hyperbolic markers rather than as indicators of precise quantity. The study identifies several semantic categories—including hyperbole, contrast, and proverbial wisdom—and demonstrates that these units serve to enhance expressiveness, convey folk wisdom, and reinforce cultural identity. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the lexical-phraseological richness of the Khorezm dialect and the broader study of Turkic phraseology.