UNIVERSAL TENDENCIES IN THE SEMANTIC STRUCTURING OF THE NUMBER CATEGORY IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK PROVERBS

This article explores the role of the category of number in the formation of meaning in English and Uzbek proverbs. Proverbs, as a reflection of the cultural and cognitive worldview of societies, utilize numerical expressions to convey complex ideas. The research identifies common tendencies in the use of numbers to express intensification, quantification, and generalization in both English and Uzbek proverbs. While these tendencies are shared across languages, cultural differences influence the interpretation and application of numbers, leading to unique semantic structures. The paper contributes to a deeper understanding of how the category of number shapes meaning in different linguistic and cultural contexts. This comparative analysis sheds light on the cognitive role of numbers in language and how they reflect universal and culture-specific cognitive processes.