VERBAL AND NONVERBAL SMALL TALK IN UZBEK AND ENGLISH: A COGNITIVE-COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55640/Keywords:
small talk, verbal communication, nonverbal communication, cognitive linguistics, cross-cultural pragmatics, Uzbek–English comparison, phatic communion, proxemics, kinesics.Abstract
This paper presents a cognitive-comparative analysis of verbal and nonverbal small talk in Uzbek and English, grounded in phatic communion theory (Malinowski, 1923), cognitive linguistics (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980), proxemics (Hall, 1966), and cultural dimensions theory (Hofstede, 1980). Through systematic comparison of greeting formulae, conversational topic selection, kinesics, proxemics, oculesics, and paralinguistic features, the study identifies fundamental divergences rooted in the high-context, collectivist orientation of Uzbek culture versus the low-context, individualist orientation of English culture. Results demonstrate that while the universal communicative goal — social bonding — is shared across both languages, the strategies, forms, and nonverbal codes employed differ substantially. Practical implications for intercultural communication training and English language pedagogy are discussed.
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