CONCEPTUAL STRUCTURES AND METAPHORS IN TOURISM DISCOURSE: A LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS BASED ON A COGNITIVE APPROACH

This paper investigates how conceptual metaphors and cognitive structures function in tourism discourse across English and Uzbek languages. Drawing from over 50 samples including travel blogs, brochures, and tourism advertisements, the study reveals how metaphorical language frames travel as transformation, self-discovery, and paradise. The analysis highlights how such metaphors resonate emotionally with audiences and reflect deeper cultural and psychological narratives. The findings support the view that metaphors in tourism texts are central to meaning-making, persuasion, and cultural framing.