CROSS-CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN SLANG USAGE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ENGLISH AND UZBEK YOUTH SLANG

Slang represents a dynamic and culturally marked layer of language that reflects social identity and communicative practices of youth. This article examines cross-cultural differences in slang usage through a comparative analysis of English and Uzbek youth slang. The aim of the study is to identify the lexico-semantic and pragmatic features that distinguish slang units in the two languages and to determine the cultural factors influencing their formation and use. The research is based on slang units drawn from contemporary youth communication, including social media, online discourse, and informal speech. The study employs comparative, semantic, pragmatic, and contextual analysis. The findings reveal that English youth slang is characterized by high lexical creativity, semantic compression, and global cultural influence, whereas Uzbek youth slang demonstrates stronger ties to national cultural values while integrating borrowed and hybrid forms. The study highlights both universal and culture-specific features of youth slang and contributes to cross-cultural slang research.