Sociolinguistic and Gender Features of Endearment in English and Uzbek Languages

The article examines the sociolinguistic and gender characteristics of the functional- semantic field of terms of endearment (FSFTE) in English and Uzbek languages. Words, phrases, and phraseological units expressing endearment in English and Uzbek are used both generally in the speech of a particular people and within smaller groups. Specifically, the article describes the similarities and differences in how FSFTE is expressed in the speech of relatives, friends and brothers, lovers, in literary and colloquial language, its dialectal forms, and its expression in relation to age. As a result, the percentage indicators of the most actively used lexical units of endearment in English and Uzbek languages were determined. These are the words dear, darling, sweet, honey, baby, love in English, and asalim, jonim, shakarim, shirinim, novvotim in Uzbek.
Furthermore, the gender characteristics of FSFTE were studied through component analysis and with the help of contexts. In English, words, phrases, and phraseological units expressing endearment were divided into units with and without gender characteristics based on markers such as wife, husband, girl, woman, boy, man, male, guy, and in Uzbek based on markers like ma’shuqa, mahbuba, juvonlar, xotin-qizlar, ayol, ona, o‘g‘il bola, er, yigit, o‘g‘il.
The pragmatic study of endearment in men's and women's speech revealed gender differences and similarities in FSFTE in the examined languages. In colloquial speech, men's endearments are simple, whereas in literary language, they utilize intensifying and stylistic devices. English women excel in crafting endearing sentences for their lovesr, while Uzbek women select endearments for men cautiously due to Eastern cultural nations like "ibo", "hayo" and "uyat". In these languages, men are addressed with endearments as heads of family, children or beloved partnets, while women are addressed as beloved partners and based on their character and appearance.