EXPLORING TYPES OF ANTONYMS IN UZBEK: A COGNITIVE APPROACH TO OPPOSITES IN MEANING

This paper explores how antonyms function in the Uzbek language from a cognitive linguistic perspective. Rather than viewing opposites as simple binary contrasts, the study investigates how different types of antonymy (gradable, complementary, directional, and relational) reflect deeper conceptual structures. Examples from Uzbek everyday language, idioms, and literary texts are analyzed to reveal how oppositional meaning is not only a linguistic phenomenon but also a reflection of human cognition. The article also discusses how some antonymic pairs are asymmetrical and how cultural and experiential knowledge shape which term is considered the default or dominant one. The goal is to better understand how Uzbek speakers conceptualize contrast through language.