The Concept of Wealth in English And Uzbek Proverbs: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Wealth is a culturally significant concept that reflects not only material prosperity but also social status, moral values, personal responsibility, and collective perceptions of a good life. Proverbs provide a valuable linguistic resource for investigating how these meanings are conceptualized and transmitted across generations. This study aims to identify the semantic, linguocultural, and axiological characteristics of the concept of wealth in English and Uzbek proverbs through comparative analysis. The research draws on the theoretical principles of paremiology, cognitive linguistics, and linguoculturology. Selected English and Uzbek proverbs are examined according to their dominant meanings, evaluative orientations, metaphorical structures, and communicative functions. The analytical framework distinguishes several dimensions of wealth, including material prosperity, the value of labour, prudent resource management, moral responsibility, and non-material forms of well-being. The comparative perspective makes it possible to examine both shared conceptual patterns and culturally specific ways of representing wealth.