THE EXPRESSION OF NATIONAL AND CULTURAL CONCEPTS THROUGH LINGUISTIC MEANS IN UZBEK AND ENGLISH: A LINGUO-ASSOCIATIVE APPROACH

This study examines how national-cultural concepts are expressed in Uzbek and English using a linguo-associative approach. The research analyzes lexical units, phraseological expressions, and associative reactions of speakers in order to reveal cultural meanings encoded in language. Associative experiments and contextual analysis demonstrate that Uzbek conceptualization is oriented toward collective values, tradition, and social relations, whereas English conceptualization tends toward individuality, privacy, and pragmatic evaluation. The results confirm that associative fields uncover deep cultural semantics that are not fully represented in dictionary definitions. The findings are relevant for linguoculturology, intercultural communication, and translation studies.