COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH AND UZBEK PROVERBS REFLECTING NATIONAL MENTALITY

Abstract

Language is more than just a tool for communication — it reflects a nation’s identity, history, and collective way of thinking. Each community expresses its unique worldview through proverbs, which carry the wisdom and moral lessons of many generations. They capture people’s experiences, beliefs, and values in short, memorable sayings. This study explores English and Uzbek proverbs that reveal aspects of national mentality. The main goal is to identify cultural and semantic similarities and differences in how both nations understand key human values such as work, wisdom, morality, and life. The topic is especially relevant today, as effective intercultural communication and translation require not only language skills but also a deep understanding of cultural context.