STYLISTIC AND AXIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CONCEPT OF "KNOWLEDGE" IN UZBEK AND ENGLISH APHORISTIC DISCOURSE

Abstract

This article presents a comparative analysis of the stylistic and axiological characteristics of aphoristic units related to knowledge in the Uzbek and English languages. The primary focus is on the figurative and evaluative potential of Uzbek terms—such as *ilm* (knowledge/learning), *bilim* (knowledge/information), *aql* (intellect/reason), *ma’rifat* (enlightenment), and *hunar* (craft/skill)—and English lexemes—such as *knowledge*, *science*, *wisdom*, *learning*, *experience*, and *method*—within aphoristic texts. The analysis examines stylistic devices in close connection with conceptual content, axiological evaluation, and pragmatic orientation. While devices such as metaphor, antithesis, parallelism, and repetition in the Uzbek aphoristic tradition serve to reinforce knowledge as an educational and ethical value, English aphoristic units employ paradox, irony, gradation, and syntactic conciseness to problematize the process of cognition, scrutinize ideas, and enhance intellectual reflection. Although the concept of knowledge carries a positive epistemic meaning in both languages, its stylistic and axiological expression gives rise to distinct communicative emphases. These differences are interpreted not as rigid national contrasts, but as stable semantic and pragmatic tendencies formed within aphoristic discourse.