CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS OF TIME IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK PROVERBS: A COGNITIVE-CULTURAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

Time is a universal phenomenon, yet cultures conceptualize and evaluate it differently. Proverbs provide a rich source for exploring how societies think about abstract concepts through metaphor. This study compares conceptual metaphors of time in English and Uzbek proverbs within the framework of Lakoff and Johnson’s Conceptual Metaphor Theory. A corpus of 120 proverbs was analyzed to identify dominant metaphorical models and their underlying cultural meanings. The findings reveal both shared universals—such as time as motion and time as a healer—and culture-specific patterns, including English pragmatism and efficiency versus Uzbek emphasis on patience, divine timing, and moral order. The study highlights how linguistic metaphors encode cultural worldviews and shape perceptions of human experience