THE CONCEPTUALIZATION OF FRIENDSHIP IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK LITERARY DISCOURSE: A COMPARATIVE LINGUOCULTURAL STUDY

This study aims to examine how friendship is conceptualized and represented in selected English and Uzbek literary texts from a comparative linguocultural perspective. It seeks to identify the linguistic expressions, narrative situations, and cultural values through which friendship is constructed in the two literary traditions. Particular attention will be paid to trust, loyalty, mutual support, sacrifice, and the boundaries of friendship. The study will adopt a qualitative comparative design, combining document analysis with thematic and contextual textual analysis. Passages concerning friendship will be examined in relation to characterization, interpersonal relationships, and their cultural contexts. The comparison will explore similarities and differences in the representation of friendship while considering the historical and social settings of the selected works. Rather than treating individual literary texts as representative of an entire culture, the study will interpret them as situated expressions of particular perspectives and values. The research aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the relationship between language, culture, and literary representations of interpersonal bonds.