SEMANTIC SHIFTS OF AUXILIARY VERBS IN CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH AND UZBEK MEDIA
Keywords:
auxiliary verbs, semantic shift, media discourse, pragmatics, English, UzbekAbstract
This study investigates the semantic shifts of auxiliary verbs in contemporary English and Uzbek media, focusing on how their meanings extend beyond traditional grammatical functions and acquire new pragmatic and stylistic roles. Auxiliary verbs, which are primarily used to form tense, aspect, voice, and modality, often undergo semantic change in media texts due to contextual reinterpretation, figurative use, and discourse strategies. In English media, auxiliaries such as will, be, have, and do increasingly serve not only as markers of tense or aspect but also as indicators of prediction, emphasis, and ideological stance. Similarly, in Uzbek media, auxiliaries like edi, bo‘lmoq, kerak, mumkin, and qilmoq show shifts from purely grammatical functions to pragmatic tools that express evaluation, obligation, or socio-political positioning.
By analyzing articles, headlines, and broadcast discourse, the research highlights how auxiliary verbs are strategically manipulated to shape public perception, legitimize authority, and create persuasive narratives. The comparative analysis reveals both universal tendencies of semantic expansion and language-specific patterns influenced by cultural and media traditions. The findings demonstrate that auxiliary verbs in media discourse are dynamic linguistic elements whose semantic shifts reflect not only linguistic evolution but also broader ideological and communicative practices of contemporary society.
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