Some Aspects of the Conceptualization of Temporal Relations in Uzbek

Abstract

This article is written in the framework of cognitive linguistics, briefly outlined here. Cognitive linguistics rests on a number of theoretical assumptions concerning the nature of linguistic knowledge, the source of meaning, the role of metaphor, and the source of linguistic variation. Linguistic knowledge is not considered to be fundamentally different from other knowledge; rather it is an integral part of overall human cognition. Nor are there any autonomous modules within language; instead grammatical meaning forms a continuum. Temporal relations are represented in the language in different discourses by means of various language elements. Firstly they can be expressed by the help of the words with the temporal meaning. That is called a lexical way of expressing temporal relations. The second way is the grammatical way where temporal relations are expressed by different tense forms of verbs. The third way of expressing the temporal relation is syntactical way, which consists of two subtypes. 1) Expressing temporal relations by means of phrase structures. 2) Expressing temporal relations by means of the clauses in composite sentences. The author analyses the temporal relations in Uzbek'one of the Turkic languages used in Central Asia by the speakers living in a vast territories of former soviet republics. The author analyses two types of temporal meanings in Uzbek'Absolute tense meanings and Relative tense me anings. Such kind of division has become possible only when the linguists began using the concepts and methodologies of Cognitive'linguistics. Embodied perce ptual experience is the source of meaning. This means that the foundation of all knowledge, including linguistic knowledge, is perceptual input, itself determined by the interaction of our bodies with the world. In addition to direct experiences of our physical surroundings, we have other experiences, such as emotions, imagination, deductive reasoning, abstract thought, etc.