Semantic classification of football vocabulary

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the semantic structure and classification of football-related lexical units in English and Uzbek. The study was conducted by dividing football terminology into semantic groups that cover various aspects of the game. In particular, the following groups were examined separately: participants (players), referees, game actions, field elements, results, rules, tactics, temporal concepts, spatial notions, exercises, competitions, as well as team and individual performance indicators. Each semantic group is illustrated with alternative examples in English and Uzbek, and their semantic characteristics are analyzed from a comparative perspective. Furthermore, the study identifies the assimilation of terms, their linguistic adaptation, as well as differences related to the national language features. The results of the analysis indicate that football lexicon in both languages is semantically rich, systematic, and complex, and that the functional and contextual properties of terms can be effectively determined through a comparative approach. The article has theoretical and practical significance for research in sports linguistics, comparative linguistics, terminology, and translation studies, and can also be applied in international football communication, the development of educational and methodological materials, and translation practice.