FEMALE PRAGMATIC BEHAVIOR IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK LITERARY DISCOURSE: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF JANE AUSTEN’S EMMA AND ABDULLAH QODIRIY’S O‘TKAN KUNLAR

Abstract

The present study explores female pragmatic behavior in two significant literary works representing English and Uzbek cultural traditions: Jane Austen's Emma and Abdullah Qodiriy's O‘tkan Kunlar. The research focuses on the realization of speech acts, politeness strategies, assertiveness, marriage discourse, and cultural pragmatics in female communication. Drawing upon Speech Act Theory, Politeness Theory, Gender Linguistics, and Cultural Pragmatics, the study investigates how the heroines Emma Woodhouse and Kumush employ language to negotiate social roles and interpersonal relationships. The findings reveal that Emma's discourse is characterized by higher levels of verbal assertiveness and conversational dominance, whereas Kumush demonstrates communicative behavior based on respect, modesty, and emotional restraint. The study highlights the influence of cultural norms and gender ideologies on female speech and contributes to the fields of comparative pragmatics and literary discourse analysis.