ANALYSIS OF LINGUOCULTURAL UNITS IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK MASS MEDIA DISCOURSE

The present study offers a comparative linguocultural analysis of English and Uzbek mass media texts with a focus on linguocultural units (linguoculturemes). Drawing on the theoretical foundations of linguoculturology and media linguistics, the research investigates how phraseological units, conceptual metaphors, proverbs, and culturally marked lexical items encode national values, axiological orientations, and collective worldviews. The empirical material consists of media texts published on leading English-language platforms (BBC News, The Guardian, The New York Times) and Uzbek-language platforms (Kun.uz, Gazeta.uz, Daryo.uz). The analysis reveals a statistically and discursively significant asymmetry in evaluative orientation: English media discourse demonstrates a higher proportion of critical, ironic, and negatively evaluative units, while Uzbek media discourse shows a clear predominance of positively charged, collectivist, and morally affirmative units. The study contributes to comparative media linguistics by demonstrating how linguocultural units function as carriers of national cultural codes and by outlining the implications of these differences for intercultural communication and translation practice.