KEY CONCEPTS IN THE THEORY OF LACUNAE: DEFINITIONS, TYPOLOGY, AND ANALYTICAL PRINCIPLES

Abstract. This thesis examines the fundamental concepts of the theory of lacunae in linguistics, emphasizing their significance for contrastive analysis, intercultural communication, and translation studies. A lacuna is understood as a gap in linguistic or cultural correspondence that emerges when an element of one language or cultural system lacks a fully equivalent counterpart in another. The study focuses on the concepts of lacuna, lacunarity, and lacunology, as well as the classification, identification, interpretation, and compensation of linguistic and cultural gaps. A qualitative conceptual approach is employed to synthesize recent theoretical research and examine illustrative examples from English and Uzbek. The analysis distinguishes lexical, semantic, grammatical, phraseological, pragmatic, and cultural lacunae while emphasizing that these categories may overlap. Particular attention is paid to the difference between the absence of a direct lexical equivalent and the absence of a culturally corresponding concept. The findings indicate that lacunae should be investigated through contextual and comparative analysis rather than literal translation alone. Their systematic identification contributes to a more precise understanding of linguistic differences, cultural conceptualization, and the strategies used to achieve communicative equivalence.