GENDER AND CULTURAL SEMANTICS IN UZBEK TOPONYMY
Keywords:
toponymy, gender, linguoculturology, semantics, culture, Uzbek language, place names, cultural meaning.Abstract
This article examines gender and cultural semantics in Uzbek toponymy through a linguocultural perspective. The study investigates how male and female conceptualizations are reflected in place names, as well as how cultural values, historical memory, and social ideology are encoded in toponymic units. The research is based on descriptive, comparative, and semantic analysis of Uzbek geographical names. The findings reveal that Uzbek toponyms preserve gender-based semantic patterns, where masculine markers are often associated with power, leadership, and authority, while feminine markers are linked to beauty, sanctity, and motherhood. The study demonstrates that toponyms function as cultural texts reflecting collective worldview and gender stereotypes
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