THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE IN SHAPING ECONOMIC THINKING: COGNITIVE AND CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES

This paper explores how language shapes economic thinking through cognitive and cultural perspectives. By examining metaphors, conceptual frameworks, and culturally embedded meanings, it argues that language not only reflects but also constructs how individuals and societies perceive value, money, and economic behavior. The study applies a conceptual analysis grounded in cognitive linguistics—particularly the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis and Lakoff’s theory of conceptual metaphors—and complements it with cultural comparisons drawn from English, Uzbek, and East Asian economic discourses. The findings suggest that linguistic framing influences economic reasoning, while cultural values shape what societies consider fair, prosperous, or moral in economic life. This insight may contribute to improving intercultural communication, translation accuracy in economics, and global cooperation in policy-making.