AGE, STATUS AND SOCIAL DISTANCE IN UZBEK AND ENGLISH CONGRATULATORY TEXTS

Abstract

This expanded article investigates the role of age, social status and social distance in the formation and translation of congratulatory texts in Uzbek and English. Congratulatory discourse is not only determined by the occasion itself, but also by the relationship between the speaker and the addressee, the degree of formality, institutional hierarchy, family position and cultural expectations of politeness. The study shows that Uzbek congratulatory texts frequently express respect through special address forms, extended blessings, references to family and collective well-being, whereas English congratulatory texts tend to rely on lexical politeness, tone, appropriate register and concise expressions of appreciation. The article also discusses translation difficulties that arise when Uzbek honorific and blessing formulas are rendered into English or when English informal greetings are translated into Uzbek. It concludes that translators must consider the addressee’s age, profession, social role and communicative setting in order to preserve both meaning and pragmatic effect.