AESTHETIC AND EXPRESSIVE POSSIBILITIES OF PUNCTUATION IN FICTIONAL TEXT (BASED ON ENGLISH AND UZBEK LANGUAGE MATERIALS)

Punctuation marks constitute one of the most under-theorized yet semantically potent dimensions of literary expression. Traditionally consigned to the domain of grammatical prescription, these graphic signs perform far more complex semiotic functions within fictional texts. This article investigates the aesthetic and expressive possibilities of punctuation in English and Uzbek literary traditions through comparative analysis. Drawing on Mark Twain's “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”, Abdulla Qodiriy's “O‘tkan kunlar”, and the experimental prose of William Faulkner, Virginia Woolf, Hamid Ismailov, and Erkin Vohidov, the study demonstrates that punctuation operates as what I term "silent lexis"—a non-lexical vocabulary capable of conveying emotional nuance, psychological depth, cultural mentality, and authorial ideology. The analysis reveals that while English literary punctuation tends toward dynamism, spontaneity, and individual expressiveness, Uzbek literary punctuation privileges introspection, emotional restraint, and communal values. The article concludes that punctuation constitutes a vital interface between grammatical structure and artistic vision, between linguistic universals and cultural particularities.