Cognitive And Metaphorical Functions Of Construction And Architectural Linguistic Units In English And Uzbek

Abstract

This article analyzes the role of construction and architectural linguistic units as cognitive-metaphorical resources in English and Uzbek. Building-related words like foundation, framework, structure, pillar, blueprint, and scaffold in English and poydevor, asos, tuzilma, ustun, loyiha, and qurmoq in Uzbek are often used in academic, political, and everyday conversation to organize abstract thinking. Utilizing Conceptual Metaphor Theory and associated cognitive-semantic frameworks, the research contends that construction–architecture terminology constitutes a significant source domain, as it provides spatial stability, part–whole relationships, and a culturally shared experience of “making” that facilitates inferences regarding complex phenomena. The analysis demonstrates that in both languages, these units (a) condense causal explanations into spatial representations, (b) govern evaluation by distinguishing stability from fragility, and (c) amplify persuasive impact by attributing design, responsibility, and expertise to non-material realms such as ideology, knowledge, identity, and institutions. Cross-linguistic comparison shows that the conceptual mappings are mostly the same, but there are language-specific preferences in collocational patterns and rhetorical style. These preferences are shaped by discourse traditions and the status of key lexemes in the language.