LINGUOPRAGMATIC FUNCTIONS OF REALIA IN SHAPING CULTURAL CODES

Abstract

This article examines the linguopragmatic functions performed by realia — culture-specific lexical units lacking full equivalents in other languages — in the formation, maintenance, and transmission of cultural codes. Drawing on data from English, Uzbek, and Russian linguistic material, the study investigates how realia operate not merely as referential labels for culture-bound phenomena but as active pragmatic instruments that encode identity, regulate social interaction, reinforce in-group membership, and project collective worldviews. By integrating theoretical frameworks from linguoculturology, pragmatics, and cross-cultural communication, the article identifies and systematizes the principal linguopragmatic functions of realia, analyzes their discursive behavior across text genres, and discusses their role as foundational building blocks of cultural code architecture. The findings contribute to a refined understanding of the relationship between lexical units, pragmatic meaning, and cultural identity, with implications for translation theory, intercultural communication pedagogy, and linguistic anthropology.