“SEMANTIC GRADATION AND VERB HIERARCHIES IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK: A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE”

Abstract

This study explores how graduonomic features function within hyper–hyponymic relations in the verb systems of English and Uzbek from a lexical-semantic perspective. It focuses on how factors such as degree, intensity, and manner contribute to the formation of hierarchical structures in verb meanings. The findings provide a clearer understanding of how verbs are semantically organized in both languages, highlighting both shared tendencies and language-specific differences in expressing gradation. The analysis shows that English typically distinguishes meanings through separate lexical items, whereas Uzbek conveys similar distinctions through derivational processes, affixes, and manner-related markers. Despite these structural differences, both languages employ multi-level hypernym–hyponym hierarchies to organize verb semantics effectively. Using corpus-based data and componential analysis of motion, speech, and action verbs, the study identifies key semantic features that shape these relationships. The results demonstrate that linguistic structure plays a crucial role in determining how meaning is expressed and categorized. Additionally, the research suggests that verb classification systems form well-organized internal networks and opens up opportunities for further investigation into degree-based semantic organization across languages.