A COMPARATIVE LINGOCULTURAL STUDY OF EMPATHY-RELATED PROVERBS IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK

Abstract

This study investigates empathy-related proverbs in English and Uzbek from a comparative linguocultural perspective. Proverbs are considered stable linguistic units that preserve cultural values, social norms, and collective experience. The research is grounded in linguocultural and cognitive linguistic theories proposed by V. V. Vorobyev, G. Lakoff, M. Johnson, and A. Wierzbicka, who stress the interdependence of language, culture, and conceptualization. The analysis demonstrates that although empathy represents a universal emotional value, its linguistic realization in proverbs reflects culturally specific moral priorities and social models. English proverbs predominantly emphasize personal emotional support and individual moral choice, while Uzbek proverbs underline communal solidarity, moral responsibility, and shared emotional experience. This study argues that empathy-related proverbs function as cultural tools shaping social behavior and ethical judgment.