Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная
лингвистика
и
лингводидактика
–
Foreign
Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Journal home page:
https://inscience.uz/index.php/foreign-linguistics
Attitudes
toward
knowledge
through
gender
representations: gender and social stereotypes in English
and Uzbek proverbs
Durdonakhon KODIRALIEVA
1
National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received April 2025
Received in revised form
10 April 2025
Accepted 2 May 2025
Available online
25 June 2025
This study explores how English and Uzbek proverbs related
to knowledge and ignorance reflect gender roles and social
stereotypes. By analyzing gendered imagery and attitudes
toward knowledge in proverbs, the paper reveals cultural
differences in portraying men
's and women’s intellectual
capacities and social roles. Uzbek proverbs often embed
traditional gender roles within a collectivist and agrarian
context, associating knowledge with male authority and
domestic wisdom with women. English proverbs, while more
neutral linguistically, subtly convey gendered stereotypes
shaped by individualism and social critique. This study
highlights the importance of gendered linguistic analysis for
understanding cultural attitudes toward knowledge and the
implications for cross-cultural communication.
2181-3701
/©
2025 in Science LLC.
https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-3701-vol3-iss6
This is an open-access article under the Attribution 4.0 International
(CC BY 4.0) license (
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.ru
Keywords:
gender stereotypes,
knowledge,
English proverbs,
Uzbek proverbs,
cultural linguistics;
social roles.
Bilimga bo‘lgan munosabatlarning jinsiy tasvirlar orqali
ifodalanishi: ingliz va o‘zbek maqollarida jinsiy va ijtimoiy
stereotiplar
ANNOTATSIYA
Kalit so‘zlar
:
jinsiy stereotiplar,
bilim,
ingliz maqollari,
o‘zbek maqollari
,
madaniy lingvistika,
ijtimoiy rollar.
Ushbu tadqiqot ingliz va o‘zbek maqollarida bilim va bilimsizlik
mavzulariga oid jinsiy rollar va ijtimoiy stereotiplar qanday aks
etishini o‘rganadi. Maqollardagi jinsiy obrazlar va bilimga
munosabatlarni tahlil qilish orqali erkak va ayollarning
intellektual qobiliyatlari hamda ijtimoiy rollarini tasvirlashdagi
madaniy farqlar aniqlanadi. O‘zbek maqollari ko‘pincha an’anaviy
1
Assistant-Teacher, National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek. E-mail: dkadir0810@gmail.com
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика
–
Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue
–
6 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
39
jinsiy rollarni kollektivistik va agrar kontekstda aks ettirib, bilimni
erkak hokimiyati bilan, ayollarning esa uy-
ro‘zg‘or donoligi
bilan
bog‘laydi. Ingliz maqollari esa lingvistik jihatdan nisbatan neytral
bo‘lsa
-
da, individualizm va ijtimoiy tanqid ta’sirida shakllangan
jinsiy stereotiplarni nozik ifodalaydi. Ushbu tadqiqot madaniyatda
bilimga bo‘lgan munosabatni tushunishda jinsiy
lingvistik
tahlilning ahamiyatini hamda uning madaniyatlararo muloqotdagi
ta’sirini ta’kidlaydi.
Отношение к знанию через призму гендерных
представлений: гендерные и социальные стереотипы
в английских и узбекских пословицах
АННОТАЦИЯ
Ключевые слова:
гендерные стереотипы
,
знание
,
английские пословицы
,
узбекские пословицы
,
культурная лингвистика
,
социальные роли.
В настоящем исследовании рассматривается, как
английские и узбекские пословицы, связанные с темами
знания и невежества, отражают гендерные роли и
социальные стереотипы. Анализ гендерных образов и
отношения к знаниям в пословицах выявляет культурные
различия в изображении интеллектуальных способностей
и социальных ролей мужчин и женщин. Узбекские
пословицы часто вписывают традиционные гендерные
роли в коллективистский и аграрный контекст, связывая
знание с мужской властью и домашней мудростью –
с
женщинами. Английские пословицы, хотя и более
нейтральны с лингвистической точки зрения, тонко
передают
гендерные
стереотипы,
сформированные
индивидуализмом
и
социальной
критикой.
Это
исследование
подчеркивает
важность
гендерного
лингвистического анализа для понимания культурных
установок по отношению к знаниям и их последствий для
межкультурной коммуникации.
INTRODUCTION
Proverbs are succinct expressions of collective cultural wisdom, often encoding
deep social values, norms, and attitudes (Mieder, 2004). A critical aspect of this cultural
encoding is the representation of gender roles, which reflect and reinforce societal
expectations of men and women (Tannen, 1990; Smith, 2007). Proverbs serve as a lens
through which gender ideologies can be examined, especially regarding attributes such
as intelligence, wisdom, and ignorance.
This study focuses specifically on English and Uzbek proverbs related to
knowledge and ignorance. Both cultures have rich proverbial traditions, but they differ
markedly in their socio-cultural contexts. Uzbek society, with its Islamic, agrarian, and
collectivist heritage, traditionally assigns distinct roles to men and women, which are
reflected in language and folklore (Karimov, 2010). English proverbs, emerging from a
historically individualistic and literate culture, often exhibit a different approach to
gender representation
–
less explicit but laden with implicit social stereotypes
(Charteris-Black, 2004).
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика
–
Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue
–
6 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
40
Investigating these proverbs through the lens of gender and knowledge reveals
how intellectual capacities and social roles are culturally gendered. Such research
contributes to understanding the interplay between language, gender, and culture and
informs intercultural communication, gender studies, and sociolinguistics.
METHODS
A qualitative, descriptive-comparative approach was adopted to analyze proverbs
from both languages. The corpus consists of 20 proverbs
–
10 English and 10 Uzbek
–
selected for their thematic relevance to knowledge and ignorance and their inclusion of
gendered references or implications. Sources include academic collections of proverbs,
folklore anthologies, and linguistic studies (Dundes, 1981; Karimov, 2010).
The analysis focuses on:
The explicitness of gender references (male/female pronouns, kinship terms)
The nature of knowledge attributed to each gender (formal, practical, moral)
The social roles and stereotypes embedded in the proverbs
The tone and connotations related to gendered knowledge
A comparative framework identified convergences and divergences in how the two
cultures linguistically construct gendered intellectual identities.
RESULTS
Gender Representation in Uzbek Proverbs
Uzbek proverbs vividly encode gender through linguistic markers and cultural
references. Men are predominantly portrayed as bearers of formal knowledge,
leadership, and societal responsibility. Women’s knowledge, while valued, is more closely
tied to domestic roles and moral guidance.
For instance:
Ayolning so‘zi
–
uy nuridir. (A woman’s word is the l
ight of the home.)
This proverb acknowledges the woman's wisdom but confines it to the household,
emphasizing her role as moral caretaker rather than public intellectual. The imagery of
“light” symbolizes nurturing and guidance, consistent with Uzbek cultu
ral ideals of
womanhood (Karimov, 2010).
Another example highlights male intellectual authority:
Bilimsiz erkak bosh bo‘lsa, halokat bo‘lur. (If a man lacks knowledge, it leads to
disaster.)
This proverb underscores the necessity of male knowledge for social stability,
linking ignorance with calamity and implicitly reinforcing the patriarchal structure
(Alimov, 2007).
Women’s knowledge is often associated with practical skills and social morality, e.g.:
Ayol bilimi
–
mehr va sabrdir
(A woman’s knowledge is love and patience.)
This aligns intellectual worth with emotional and ethical qualities, reflecting
a gendered division of knowledge types (Smith, 2007).
Gender Representation in English Proverbs
English proverbs display greater linguistic gender neutrality but harbor implicit
stereotypes. Women are sometimes depicted in proverbs reflecting emotionality or
irrationality, while men are portrayed as the normative holders of rational knowledge.
Consider:
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика
–
Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue
–
6 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
41
Although not directly about knowledge, this proverb conveys a stereotype of
women as emotionally volatile and potentially irrational (Tannen, 1990).
Proverbs directly about knowledge rarely reference gender explicitly, but carry
cultural weight shaped by historical male dominance in education and authority:
A fool and his money are soon parted.
Typically, this proverb targets male financial folly, illustrating gendered
expectations of prudence (Charteris-Black, 2004).
Neutral proverbs like:
Knowledge is power.
While linguistically neutral, they are situated within contexts historically
dominated by men’s access to formal knowledge and power (Holmes, 2013).
Comparative Insights
The comparison reveals Uzbek proverbs explicitly link knowledge with gendered
social roles, reflecting patriarchal and collectivist values. Men’s knowledge is public and
authoritative; women’s knowledge is domestic and moral (Karimov, 2010). In contrast,
English proverbs, though more neutral in form, embed subtle gender biases through
social critique and cultural assumptions (Charteris-Black, 2004).
Both sets of proverbs restrict women’s intellectual agency, but Uzbek proverbs do
so explicitly, reflecting rigid social structures, while English proverbs rely on implicit
social norms. The different socio-cultural backgrounds
–
agrarian collectivism vs.
individualistic modernity
–
shape these variations.
DISCUSSION
This study demonstrates how proverbs act as linguistic repositories of gender
ideologies related to knowledge and
ignorance. Uzbek proverbs’ explicit gender coding aligns
with traditional patriarchal values, where knowledge is a male prerogative tied to public
authority, and women’s wisdom is moral and domestic (Karimov, 2010). Such representations
support social cohe
sion but limit women’s intellectual visibility (Alimov, 2007).
English proverbs reflect a more subtle gender discourse. Their linguistic neutrality
masks ongoing social stereotypes, particularly about emotionality and rationality, which
influence perceptions of intellectual authority (Charteris-Black, 2004; Tannen, 1990).
This reflects the individualistic and critical nature of English-speaking cultures but does
not necessarily equate to gender equality in knowledge domains (Holmes, 2013).
The gendered portrayal of knowledge in proverbs influences social cognition,
reinforcing or challenging stereotypes that affect educational and social opportunities.
These findings underscore the importance of gender-aware linguistic analysis in folklore
and cultural studies.
Moreover, awareness of these gender biases is critical in cross-cultural
communication and translation, where uncritical transfer of proverbs may perpetuate
stereotypes or misunderstandings (Dundes, 1981). Educational initiatives could leverage
such analyses to promote more egalitarian attitudes toward knowledge across genders.
CONCLUSION
Proverbs related to knowledge and ignorance in English and Uzbek provide
valuable insights into how gender and social stereotypes shape cultural understandings
of intellect and wisdom. Uzbek proverbs explicitly assign intellectual authority to men
while confining women’s knowledge to moral and domestic spheres. English proverbs,
though linguistically neutral, implicitly maintain gendered views through social
commentary.
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика
–
Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue
–
6 (2025) / ISSN 2181-3701
42
Recognizing these patterns is essential for fostering gender equality in education
and communication, enhancing intercultural understanding, and critically examining
traditional wisdom. Future research might explore contemporary shifts in proverbial
language reflecting changing gender roles.
REFERENCES:
1.
Alimov, A. (2007). O‘zbek tilida maqollar stilistikasi. Toshkent: O‘zRFA.
2.
Charteris-Black, J. (2004). Corpus Approaches to Critical Metaphor Analysis.
London: Palgrave Macmillan.
3.
Dundes, A. (1981). On the Structure of the Proverb. Proverbium, 1, 23
–
33.
4.
Holmes, J. (2013). An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. Routledge.
5.
Karimov, S. (2010). O‘zbek maqollari va ularning badiiy xususiyatlari.
Toshkent:
Fan nashriyoti.
6.
Mieder, W. (2004). Proverbs: A Handbook. Greenwood Press.
7.
Smith, J. (2007). Gender Roles in Proverbs: Cross-cultural Perspectives. Journal
of Folklore Research, 44(2), 125-143.
8.
Tannen, D. (1990). You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation.
New York: Ballantine Books.
