BEYOND MEANING: PRAGMATIC AND DISCURSIVE ROLES OF LINGUOCULTURAL REALIA IN TRANSLATION

This study examines the pragmatic and discursive roles of linguocultural realia in translation, moving beyond their traditional interpretation as purely referential units. These culturally embedded lexical items not only denote specific concepts but also shape discourse, express social identity, and convey cultural norms. The study aims to analyze how these functions are preserved or transformed in English–Uzbek translation. A qualitative comparative approach is applied, based on selected literary examples. The findings show that while referential meaning is often retained, pragmatic and discursive functions frequently change, leading to shifts in tone, characterization, and perspective. These transformations are influenced by strategies such as adaptation, generalization, and substitution.