COGNITIVE-LINGUISTIC MODELING AND NOMINATIVE PROPERTIES OF "KINDIK/GÖBEK" SOMATIC METAPHORS IN TURKISH AND UZBEK LANGUAGES

ABSTRACT: This paper presents a comparative analysis of the cognitive nature, semantic derivation, and nominative potential of metaphorical units derived from the somatisms kindik and göbek in the Uzbek and Turkish languages. It explores the role of human bodily experience associated with the navel/umbilicus as a source domain in conceptualizing various physical, spatial, and abstract target domains. The findings reveal shared conceptual patterns across both languages within the models of CENTER, FUNCTIONAL CORE, and CONNECTION, while highlighting key distinctions in their technical, spatial, and linguo-cultural realizations. Furthermore, the paper contrasts the active productive use of the Turkish lexeme göbek in technical and spatial nomenclature with the semantic preferences of Uzbek kindik, which leans predominantly toward metaphorical conceptualizations of centrality, proximity, and interpersonal interconnectedness.