LINGUACULTURAL FEATURES IN THE TRANSLATION OF UZBEK LITERARY TEXTS INTO ENGLISH: A COMPARATIVE LINGUISTIC STUDY OF CULTURE-SPECIFIC UNITS

Abstract

This research paper examines the linguacultural features involved in translating Uzbek literary texts into English from the perspective of comparative linguistics, with particular attention to culture-specific units. The study proceeds from the view that literary translation is not limited to lexical replacement; rather, it requires the transfer of culturally marked meanings, pragmatic nuances, symbolic associations, and nationally specific worldview embedded in the source text. The paper integrates comparative linguistics, translation studies, and linguacultural analysis. A qualitative comparative method is applied to selected Uzbek culture-specific units and their possible English renderings. The analysis focuses on kinship terms, forms of address, traditional clothing, food names, social institutions, and phraseological expressions. The findings show that full equivalence is uncommon in Uzbek-English literary translation because many units are deeply rooted in Uzbek ethnocultural experience and lack exact English counterparts. As a result, translators employ transliteration, descriptive translation, cultural substitution, explicitation, and combined strategies.