"ZAMONAVIY TILSHUNOSLIK VA TARJIMASHUNOSLIKNING DOLZARB MUAMMOLARI"
mavzusidagi xalqaro ilmiy-amaliy anjuman
496
“THE ROLE OF CULTURE IN SHAPING STYLISTIC DEVICES: A CASE
STUDY OF SIMILE USE IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK POETRY”
Asatova Aziza Zakir qizi
1-year Master's degree student, Department of English Linguistics,
National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirza Ulugbek
Scientific supervisor: Mamatova Feruza Makhammadovna
PhD, associate professor
Lecturer at the Department of English Linguistics
National University of Uzbekistan
feruzamakhammadovna@gmail.com
+998901184819
Annotation:
This paper investigates how simile usage and structure in Uzbek and
English poetry are influenced by culture. Simile is a stylistic device that expresses
ingrained cultural beliefs, customs, and worldviews in addition to language choices.
The study aims to demonstrate how language and culture interact in literary expression
by highlighting both universal tendencies and culturally particular elements in simile
usage through comparative analysis.
Key words:
stylistic devices, poetry, simile, comparative analysis, cultural context.
Stylistic devices serve as tools for enriching literary texts, poetry and other types of
texts providing vivid imagery and emotional depth. Among the many stylistic devices
used in literature, some reflect distinct cultural connotations, reflecting a society’s
traditions, beliefs, and way of thinking. These are known as culturally marked stylistic
devices—linguistic expressions that are deeply rooted in a specific cultural context and
may not have exact equivalents in other languages. They shape a text’s meaning by
evoking cultural imagery, historical references, and shared knowledge within a
linguistic community. One of the most popular figures of speech among them is the
simile, the which is employed to establish analogy and creative meaning.Similes in
English and Uzbek poetry, examining how cultural contexts influence both the form
"ZAMONAVIY TILSHUNOSLIK VA TARJIMASHUNOSLIKNING DOLZARB MUAMMOLARI"
mavzusidagi xalqaro ilmiy-amaliy anjuman
497
and content of this stylistic device. However, similes are not used in a cultural vacuum;
they are shaped by the experiences, symbols, and values of the people who create them.
The relationship between language, culture, and stylistic expression has been widely
explored by scholars. Lakoff and Johnson (1980) in their influential work Metaphors
We Live By,contend that figurative language—including simile—is deeply rooted in
conceptual metaphors that emerge from cultural experience. They emphasize that
metaphors and analogies shaped by culture serve as the foundation for our
comprehension of abstract ideas[3]. Leech and Short (2007) claim that stylistic analysis
sheds light on the ways in which language expresses cultural and artistic values [4].
According to Jakobson (1960), language decisions influence the reader's perception,
and poetic function is an important element of stylistic expression. The reader's
interpretive framework is influenced by cultural implications included into stylistic
elements in both English and Uzbek literature [2]. Scholars such as Nida (1964) and
Newmark (1988) have discussed the boundaries of translating culture-specific
expressions, focusing on the importance of preserving meaning rather than literal
translation. The more recent approach to stylistic devices pay attention to their role in
conveying the cultural meaning [5]. Overall, the literature supports the notion that
similes are a powerful stylistic tool that serve as a bridge between linguistic form and
cultural meaning.
Similes are a common stylistic device used to create vivid imagery by comparing one
thing to another using words like “as”, “like”, or “as if.” However, not all similes are
universally understood in the same way across cultures. In many cases, similes are
culturally marked, meaning that the objects or concepts used in the comparison are
deeply rooted in the traditions, values, or everyday experiences of a particular culture.
For example, a simile that compares someone’s beauty to a N
avruz flower
may carry
strong cultural connotations in Central Asian or Middle Eastern literature but may not
resonate with or be understood by readers from Western cultures. The reference points
in such similes are familiar and emotionally loaded within the source culture, but they
may appear strange, irrelevant, or meaningless in another culture. Here’s an excerpt
from Zulfiya’s poem “Men tug‘ilgan kun” (“The Day I Was Born”) [6]:
"ZAMONAVIY TILSHUNOSLIK VA TARJIMASHUNOSLIKNING DOLZARB MUAMMOLARI"
mavzusidagi xalqaro ilmiy-amaliy anjuman
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Qora terda tanho boshingiz,
Labingiz - dasht jo'yagiday qoq.
Og'zingizga tiqib sochingiz,
Tanangizga solarlar to’lg’oq.
In this excerpt, the line
“Labingiz – dasht jo’yagiday qoq”
contains a simile
comparing the lips to a
“jo’yak”
(a furrow).The word
“jo’yak”
is a culturally marked
term that may not evoke the same imagery or emotional resonance for readers outside
this cultural context.
Here’s another example from the English poem “A Red, Red Rose” by Robert Burns:
O my Luve is
like a red,
red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June;
O my Luve is
like the melody
That’s sweetly played in tune.
The lines
“My love is like a red, red rose”, “like the melody”
are similes that
compare love to a rose and to a melody. The words
“June“
and
“rose“
are culturally
marked elements, as they carry deep symbolic meaning in English literature.
This study examines how similes are used in Uzbek and English poetry to
demonstrate relationship between language, culture, and stylistic expression. In
addition to enhancing the literary style, similes represent cultural values, symbols, and
viewpoints that are particular to each language community. Comparative examination
reveals that although similes are a universal stylistic device, how they are expressed is
frequently culturally specific. Since similes act as a link between linguistic form and
cultural meaning,understanding these cultural nuances is crucial for accurate
interpretation and translation.
"ZAMONAVIY TILSHUNOSLIK VA TARJIMASHUNOSLIKNING DOLZARB MUAMMOLARI"
mavzusidagi xalqaro ilmiy-amaliy anjuman
499
References
1.
Jakobson R. Closing Statement: Linguistics and Poetics // In T.A. Sebeok (Ed.),
Style in Language. – MIT Press, 1960. – 356 p.
2.
Lakoff G., Johnson M. Metaphors We Live By. – University of Chicago Press,
1980. – 3-10 p.
3.
Leech G., Short M. Style in Fiction: A Linguistic Introduction to English
Fictional Prose. – Pearson Education, 2007. – 11-38 p.
4.
Newmark P. A Textbook of Translation. – Prentice Hall, 1988. – 94-103 p.
5.
Zulfiya. Bahor keldi seni soʻroqlab. – 2016. – 22 b.
