Morpho-Syntactic Typology of Phraseological Units with the “Tongue-Til” Component in English and Uzbek Languages

Abstract

General Background: Phraseological units are a fundamental component of linguistic expression, reflecting cultural, cognitive, and historical aspects of a language. Somatic phraseological units, particularly those involving body parts such as the tongue (til in Uzbek), offer unique insights into metaphorical meaning and cultural perception in different linguistic systems. Specific Background: In both English and Uzbek, the "tongue-til" component is widely used in idiomatic expressions to convey meanings related to speech, eloquence, verbal restraint, and communication. While English, as an analytic language, constructs phraseological units through fixed word order and auxiliary elements, Uzbek, as an agglutinative language, relies on affixation and flexible syntactic structures. These typological differences influence the formation and usage of phraseological units. Knowledge Gap: Although phraseological units have been extensively studied in both languages, there is limited research on the comparative morpho-syntactic structures of phraseological expressions containing the "tongue-til" component. The interplay between grammar, syntax, and phraseological stability in cross-linguistic contexts remains underexplored. Aims: This study examines the morpho-syntactic typology of phraseological units with the "tongue-til" component in English and Uzbek, identifying structural differences, grammatical variations, and semantic parallels. Results: The findings indicate that English phraseological units follow a rigid structure with possessive pronouns and prepositional constructions, whereas Uzbek phraseological expressions exhibit greater morphological flexibility through case markers and suffixation. Additionally, cultural differences influence idiomatic meaning and usage. Novelty: Unlike previous studies that focus solely on semantic analysis, this research provides a comparative morpho-syntactic approach, highlighting typological distinctions between analytic and agglutinative languages. Implications: The study contributes to linguistic typology, phraseological research, and cross-cultural translation studies by demonstrating how language structure shapes idiomatic expression, aiding in better interpretation and teaching of phraseological units across different linguistic systems.