THE ETHNOCULTURAL FEATURES OF FACIAL EXPRESSIONS IN UZBEK AND ENGLISH COMMUNICATION CULTURE: A CONTRASTIVE PRAGMATIC ANALYSIS

Abstract

This article investigates the ethnocultural features of facial expressions (mimicry) in Uzbek and English communication cultures through a comparative linguistic-pragmatic and ethnocultural approach. The research corpus comprises 45 contextualised examples drawn from Uzbek and English literary texts and journalistic sources. Applying semiotic, pragmatic, and ethnocultural communication frameworks, the study systematically analyses six categories of mimetic nonverbal devices: lip, eye, eyebrow, teeth, nose, and forehead expressions. The findings demonstrate that while mimetic nonverbal units fulfil emotional-expressive functions in both cultures, their semiotic composition, social scope of use, and cultural interpretation exhibit significant ethnocultural differences. In Uzbek communication culture, facial expressions more strongly reflect collective values, social hierarchy, and group harmony, whereas English communication culture foregrounds individual expression and emotional self-regulation. Uzbek literary examples are presented in their original script and analysed in terms of their paralinguistic and pragmatic functions. The results contribute theoretically to contrastive linguistics, ethnocultural communication studies, and cross-cultural pragmatics.