Linguistic and Pragmatic Functions of Metaphor in The Speeches of Uzbek Politicians

SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS VOLUME 4 ǀ ISSUE 4 ǀ 2023
ISSN: 2181-1601
Scientific Journal Impact Factor (SJIF 2022=5.016)
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LINGUISTIC AND PRAGMATIC FUNCTIONS OF METAPHOR IN THE
SPEECHES OF UZBEK POLITICIANS
Xulkaroy Qarshiboyeva
year master student of National university of Uzbekistan
Scientific adviser: DSc, professor D. B. Agzamova
ABSTRACT
Researches on political metaphorology is an integral part of a wide scientific
field, which is most often called political linguistics (the terms are also used with
political philology, linguistic political science). In this article it is researched these
general problems and their relationship with political metaphorology. The article
consistently is considered linguistic and pragmatic functions of metaphor in the
speeches of uzbek politicians, the Uzbek national view of the world and its metaphorical
representation, and authorship of a political text and its aims and problems.
However, it is necessary to emphasize again that this kind of metaphors do not reflect
the real situation of Uzbekistan but also its reflection in political discourse. As you
know, reality and its awareness in the social mentality do not always correspond to each
other, and in this case, the mirror of the political metaphor magnifies all the real
problems many times.
Keywords: Metaphor, discourse, political discourse, political text, Uzbek
political communication, pragmatic and linguistic problem, metaphor, political
metaphor, political language, metaphorical expressions.
Within the framework of this study, we analyzed the speeches of Uzbek

politicians (Sh.M.Mirziyoyev, I.A.Karimov) from the point of view of the functioning
of metaphors in them. The total number of analyzed contexts for the use of metaphors.
We will consider the most typical linguo-pragmatic functions of metaphors for
the Uzbek political discourse. For them, we have derived our own classification, in our
opinion, the most consistent with the political realities of the region.
Military metaphor
Metaphors with the sphere-source “anxiety” are the most striking feature of
political texts. The activation of such images most often occurs in the most difficult
moments. The active metaphorical use of military vocabulary is most often found in
speech that reveals socio-political issues.
‘Юртимизнинг хавфсизлиги — сиесатимизнинг бош йўналиши.
мамлакатимиэни этник, демографик, иқтисодий ва бошқа муаммоларнинг оғир
юки остида қолган мамлакатлар қуршаб олганини кўриш мумкин. Бунинг
Uzbekistan www.scientificprogress.uz Page 367
ISSN: 2181-1601
устига, Ўзбекистон диний экстремизм, этник жанжаллар, наркобизнес ва ҳар хил
ташқи кучларнинг таъсирида ички низолар авж олган Афғонистон каби
беқарорлик ўчоғи билан чегарадош. Олти йилдирки, қўшни Тожикистонда
нотинчлик ҳукм сурмоқда.’1
In the fragment below, I.A.Karimov who was the first president of Uzbekistan
uses the image of unpeaceful area to characterize the consequences of the inner conflicts
in border countries for Uzbekistan:
In this statement, the politician compares country with a anxiety, blaming
neighboring countries for causing the unrest of poeple, and indirectly places this
responsibility on the head of the states themselves. It follows from this that the purpose
of this metaphorical transfer is to represent one's opponents as aggressors, and oneself
as a victim of aggression. Using the lexeme "notinchlik", which I.A.Karimov arouses
sympathy and pity for himself (and his politics) and condemnation of opponents in the
audience. Since the politician actively influences the emotional-volitional sphere of the
recipients of the message in order to create solidarity of public opinion and feelings with
their own, in this context the emotive function of the metaphor is realized. The need to
take measures to protect the country is represented by the politician in the following
fragment through the image of the shield as a means of ensuring security: Our country
needs a shield from any aggression. Without it, we cannot provide favorable conditions
for the development of Uzbekistan and a decent life for the people
The politician compares effective political measures to a shield. The noun
"shield", which implies a serious means of defense, serves as a tool to guide the
thoughts of listeners. If you need a "shield", then someone will attack, therefore, you
need to defend. At the same time, it is not specified what kind of aggression it is
necessary to defend against, and what kind of shield to use. The goal of a politician is
not to provide specific information, but to cause people to worry and direct their
thoughts into thinking about the danger that threatens our country, which is achieved
through the instrumental function of metaphor. The measures taken to ensure stability in
the country are presented by the politician in the example below through the struggle:
‘Korrupsiyaga qarshi kurashishda aholining barcha qatlamlari, eng yaxshi
mutaxassislar jalb qilinmas ekan, jamiyatimizning barcha aʼzolari, taʼbir joiz boʻlsa,
“halollik vaksinasi” bilan emlanmas ekan, oʻz oldimizga qoʻygan yuksak marralarga
erisha olmaymiz.’2
Wrestling is perceived by most people as a serious, cruel and dangerous event.
Therefore, a politician, calling his anti-corruption campaign “halollik vaksinasi”,
automatically enhances its seriousness and significance in the eyes of the audience. Sh.
1
"Тафаккур * журнали Бош муҳаррирининг саволларига жавоблар, “Тафаккур ” журналининг 1998 йил 2-сони.
2
https://xs.uz/uz/post/prezident-korruptsiyaga-qarshi-kurashi
ISSN: 2181-1601
M. Mirziyoyev calls the set of measures to curb corruption a " halollik vaksinasi " in
order to characterize them as a difficult task that requires great effort and to let the
people know what an important mission the politician himself and his party are
performing. There is a transfer of the audience's attitude to the "struggle" to the political
mission of Sh. M. Mirziyoyev, thereby triggering the emotive function of metaphor.
Metaphor of disaster and destruction
“Yashil taraqqiyot”ga erishish uchun amaliy sa’y-harakatlarimizni safarbar
etishimiz darkor.
Ekologik muammolar va iqlim o‘zgarishi keskin tus olayotgan hozirgi davrda
davlatlarimizda to‘plangan va xorijiy ilg‘or tajribadan samarali foydalanish, “yashil
iqtisodiyot”ni birgalikda faol rivojlantirish, sanoat tarmoqlariga resurstejamkor
texnologiyalarni keng tatbiq etish, uglerod neytralligiga erishish kun tartibidagi eng
dolzarb vazifalardan biridir.3
Sh. M. Mirziyoyev compares the withdrawal of funds from the domestic ecology
abroad with bleeding. Since “yashil iqtisodiyot” is a symbol of life, the politician
implicitly declares that officials who commit economic crimes to the detriment of the
well-being of their own country are actually killing it. Expressing his negative attitude
towards the government, which is not capable of solving ecologic problems and
allowing such lawlessness, the politician informs his audience. This is how the
nominative-evaluative function of metaphor is implemented.
At the same time, the presence of these merits is not at all necessary; the listeners
develop an understanding that the very attitude of Sh. M. Mirziyoyev makes him an
outstanding politician.
Marine metaphor
Describing the threat of a global economic crisis in the following statement, Sh.
M. Mirziyoyev uses the metaphor of a tragedy to model a difficult ecologic reality.
‘Davrimizning o‘tkir muammolaridan yana biri — global iqlim o‘zgarishlaridir.
E’tiboringizni yana bir bor Orol dengizi qurishining halokatli oqibatlariga
qaratmoqchiman. Orolbo‘yi hududi ekologik fojianing markaziga aylandi.’4
Calling the global ecologic tragedy, the politician focuses on the enormous
destructive force that it brings to the economies of many countries. "Fojia" is always
associated with very turbulent experiences and the difficulty of getting out of a
situation. In this context, the nominative-evaluative function of the metaphor is realized,
since the politician uses a more expressive colored name for the well-known political
and ecologic fact of reality, thereby expressing his attitude towards it and
3
https://yuz.uz/uz/news/ozbekiston-respublikasi-prezidenti-shavkat-mirziyoevning-iqtisodiy-hamkorlik-tashkiloti-15-
sammitidagi-nutqi
4
https://www.gazeta.uz/oz/2020/09/23/bmt/
ISSN: 2181-1601
communicating it to the audience. In addition, this message also implements a
popularizing function, since Sh. M. Mirziyoyev explains the situation in a language
understandable to a wide range of audiences. He also implicitly introduces: in order to
overcome the elements of the sea, as well as ‘Orol bo’yi dengizi, it is not enough to
make efforts, because the element is uncontrollable, the “fojia” can only be waited out,
it is necessary to find the strength to survive the difficulties.
Sports metaphor
Sport in all its varieties is present in all types of human activity, and its role is
especially great in those types of activity that involve struggle and rivalry, that is, in
politics. Let's turn to the analysis of specific examples:
‘Buyuk Alisher Navoiy bobomiz aytganlaridek, sherga qarshi sherdek
kurashish, jang qilish kerak.’
Defining the modern political reality of Uzbek sportsmen as a “lion”, the
politician endows it with such qualities as full of obstacles, impassability, speaks of its
complexity, high energy costs that await politicians and people. The metaphor
implements an instrumental function: if we have a “competition arena as battlefield” in
front of us, then it will be necessary to consolidate efforts to pass it. This is what the
politician calls for, to gain strength in the face of the difficulties that have befallen the
country. Sport as overcoming difficulties is also shown in the following statement:
‘…Sport bilan do`st bo`lgan bolalar biz uchun mutlaqo begona va zararli
oqimlarga qo`shilib ketmaydi.’5
In this statement, the politician wants to convey to the audience the idea of the
problems and difficulties of Uzbek sportsmen. He presents his own party on the positive
side. Thus, I.A.Karimov gives a positive assessment in relation to the activities of his
own party, realizing the nominative-evaluative metaphorical function. At the same time,
the politician expresses his opinion about the sport role in this process, leveling it. In
addition to overcoming difficulties, sport involves competition and shows strength of
them.
The concept of "role" emphasizes the static, formal, ritual side of the socio-
political life of the country. Speaking of a “worthy role” as a political model for
Uzbekistan, the politician means that there are special characteristics attributed to this
role that the country should have. The task of paramount importance for every politician
is to create his own image of his country. He uses a fairly well-established metaphor as
an ornament to his political speech, thus it serves an aesthetic function.
Religious metaphor
5
https://darakchi.uz/oz/11396 2016.
ISSN: 2181-1601
Political circles need to be able to talk about God in order to successfully use
religion for their political purposes. The religious views of a politician largely determine
how he solves a variety of issues, they form his moral character:
‘Ma’lumki, bizning mintaqamiz, avvalambor, bugungi O‘zbekiston zamini islom
ilm-fani va madaniyatining qadimiy beshiklaridan biri hisoblanadi’6
In the above statement, the politician compares participation in hostilities with "
qadimiy beshiklaridan biri ", thereby classifying war as a cultural action under the
auspices of faith. Thus, he presents war not as something terrible and contrary to human
nature, but as the religious duty of every patriot, and this fact makes a person feel proud
of the military past and consider himself indebted to his country. The politician achieves
this effect by taking into account the nominative-evaluative and emotive functions of
the metaphor. Sh. M. Mirziyoyev gives his assessment of the events that have taken
place, while simultaneously influencing the emotional -volitional sphere of the
addressee.
The Uzbek people are well aware and understand many world religions
Metaphor of nature
In Uzbekistan, the importance of the concept of "nature" is extremely high and is
inseparably linked with human thinking and attitude. Uzbek people still tend to
personify natural phenomena, creating persistent associations of their manifestations
with their own inner world:
Eng muhim masala – aholining ekologik madaniyatini oshirish haqida jiddiy
bosh qotirishimiz zarur.
In this statement, the politician says that the aesthetic function of metaphor comes
first. The politician says obvious things, dressing them in a more figurative and
memorable form for successful transmission to the addressee.
The metaphorical expressions following one after another recreate the general
picture of political reality in popular language, it can be understood even by uninitiated
listeners.
Medical metaphor
Politicians often resort to the field of medicine to construct metaphorical
expressions. It is represented mainly by evaluative characteristics of the state of human
health, and therefore most often performs a nominative-evaluative function:
“Ijobiy koʻrsatkichlarga erishgan tibbiyot xodimlari mukofotlanadi. “Xalq
salomatligi posboni” koʻkrak nishoni taʼsis etiladi.”7
6
https://uzsm.uz/uz/press_center/uzb_news/o-zbekiston-respublikasi-prezidenti-shavkat-mirziyoyevning-ijtimoiy-
barqarorlikni-ta-minlash-muqadda/
7
https://www.yuz.uz/uz/news/shavkat-mirziyoev-xalqimiz-salomatligi-hamma-narsadan-ustun-va-qadrli
ISSN: 2181-1601
He presents his indignation in the form of a memorable metaphor. Using the
expression " xalq salomatligi posboni ", he attributes to these countries such signs as
strength, work and passion, level of knowledge. Because ‘posbon’ means that a person
who protects and saves their own things or place. This very well characterizes the
situation in which the economy of these countries is literally suffocating from the crisis.
Economic metaphor
Economics is an inexhaustible source of creating a political metaphor. Due to the
fact that the economy is an integral element of politics, a fairly wide range of economic
concepts is used in the constitution of metaphorical expressions.
“… Bu markazni mamlakatimiz soliq tizimining “miyasi” deyish mumkin. Bu
yerga barcha soliq to‘lovchilarning ma’lumotlari integratsiya qilingan.”8
Using this metaphor, Sh.Mirziyoyev compares economic calculations with human
casualties. All human relations, like politics, are built on the principles of commodity-
money relations, in this case, human lives act as a face value. Using the lexeme "miya"
(brain), the politician focuses on the pain that the Uzbek people endure, trying to
influence the emotional sphere of voters more strongly, using the emotive function of
metaphor.
Thus, a public political speech is characterized by an active appeal of speakers to
the metaphors of various source topics, which allows the addressee of a political
message to find allegories for political realities in almost all spheres of life and allows
him to appeal to a larger number of recipients that make up his target audience.
Although the main role of the studied metaphors is to express a positive
assessment of the party's activities and self-presentation or the implementation of a
assessment and discredit a political opponent, they also serve to draw the addressee's
attention to the political realities of the country in order to prepare the audience for
further presentation of the political course of the party. At the same time, pessimistic
notes are most often heard in the discourse of Uzbek politicians, metaphorical
expressions are used, characterized by a bright negative emotional halo in order to show
what careless politicians and, in their opinion, incorrect political ideology have brought
the country to, to demonstrate the difficulties and dangers that threaten the country.
The special characteristics inherent in the discourse of Sh.Mirziyoyev turned out
to be an ultimatum of judgments, avoidance of responsibility for what was said, and
strict observance of political ethics associated with his post of President of the Russian
Federation.
8
https://yuz.uz/uz/news/shavkat-mirziyoev-xalqimiz-salomatligi-hamma-narsadan-ustun-va-qadrli?view=prezident-davlat-
soliq-qomitasidagi-markazda-boldi
ISSN: 2181-1601
Used literature
1. Hoffman E. Forms of Talk. Oxford: University of Oxford, 1985. P. 327.
2. Lakoff G., Johnson M. Metaphors we live by. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press, 1980. P.241.
3. Lakoff G. Women, fire, and dangerous things: What categories reveal about the
mind. Chicago; London, 1996.
4. "Тафаккур * журнали Бош муҳаррирининг саволларига жавоблар,
“Тафаккур ” журналининг 1998 йил 2-сони.
5. https://xs.uz/uz/post/prezident-korruptsiyaga-qarshi-kurashi
6. https://yuz.uz/uz/news/ozbekiston-respublikasi-prezidenti-shavkat-
mirziyoevning-iqtisodiy-hamkorlik-tashkiloti-15-sammitidagi-nutqi
7. https://www.gazeta.uz/oz/2020/09/23/bmt/
8. https://darakchi.uz/oz/11396 2016.
9. https://uzsm.uz/uz/press_center/uzb_news/o-zbekiston-respublikasi-prezidenti-
shavkat-mirziyoyevning-ijtimoiy-barqarorlikni-ta-minlash-muqadda/
10. https://www.yuz.uz/uz/news/shavkat-mirziyoev-xalqimiz-salomatligi-hamma-
narsadan-ustun-va-qadrli
11.Скляревская Г.Н. Метафора в системе языка. М.: Наука, 1993. P.150.
12.Скляревская Г. Н. Языковая метафора в словаре. Опыт системного описания
// Вопр. Языкознания. 1987. № 2.
13."Тафаккур * журнали Бош муҳаррирининг саволларига жавоблар,
“Тафаккур ” журналининг 1998 йил 2-сони.
14. Чудинов А. П. Россия в метафорическом зеркале // Русская речь. 2001. № 1,
3, 4; 2002. № 1, 2, 3.

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SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS VOLUME 4 ǀ ISSUE 4 ǀ 2023

Within the framework of this study, we analyzed the speeches of Uzbek

Uzbekistan www.scientificprogress.uz Page 373

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