FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OF PARALINGUISTIC MEANS IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Abstract

Paralinguistic means represent an important component of human communication and significantly influence the interpretation of verbal messages. These elements include intonation, voice quality, pauses, speech tempo, gestures and facial expressions that accompany speech and contribute to the transmission of meaning. The present article investigates the functional characteristics of paralinguistic means in English and Uzbek within a comparative linguistic framework. The study analyzes how prosodic and non-verbal elements operate in both languages and how cultural norms influence their communicative functions. The results demonstrate that although both languages utilize similar types of paralinguistic devices, their pragmatic roles and frequency of use differ due to cultural and communicative traditions.