International Journal of Literature and Language Studies
Vol. 5 No. 6 (2026): International Journal of Literature and Language Studies

A COGNITIVE-METAPHORICAL ANALYSIS OF THE CONCEPT OF “LOVE” IN THE EXPLANATORY DICTIONARY OF THE UZBEK LANGUAGE

Sojida Abdukhakimova (junior researcher, Institute of Uzbek Language, Literature and Folklore, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan)



Article Info

Publish Date
05 Jun 2026

Abstract

Abstract: This article investigates the cognitive-metaphorical properties of the concept of “love” in the Uzbek language based on the conceptual metaphor theory developed by J. Lakoff and M. Johnson. The research material includes lexical units from the Explanatory Dictionary of the Uzbek Language and illustrative examples drawn from literary texts. The study demonstrates that the concept of love is structured through several dominant source domains, including PRECIOUS OBJECT, PLANT, FIRE, ILLNESS, and EXCHANGE. Each metaphorical model reveals different semantic dimensions of love, such as value and worth, development and growth, emotional intensity, psychological suffering, and socio-ethical evaluation. The findings indicate that, within Uzbek linguocultural cognition, the concept of love constitutes a multilayered and dynamic cognitive structure formed through systematic metaphorical mappings between abstract emotional experience and concrete source domains.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

ijlls

Publisher

Subject

Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

The mission of the International Journal of Literature and Language Studies (IJLLS) is to provide readers with the development of language studies in linguistics and literature. In addition to manuscripts that center on the study, we welcome manuscripts on a wide range of topics relating to the ...