THE PHENOMENON OF SYNONYMY IN SOMATIC-COMPONENT RIDDLES IN THE ENGLISH AND UZBEK LANGUAGES

Abstract

This thesis explores the workings of synonymy in riddles that contain somatic components in English and Uzbek. It distinguishes two faces of the phenomenon: the existence of several different riddles that point to one and the same answer (riddle synonymy), and the interchange of close body-part lexemes inside variant texts of a single riddle (lexical synonymy). The comparison shows that synonymy is a productive force in both traditions, enriching the riddle stock and reflecting regional and stylistic variation, yet the depth of synonymic series and the organs around which they cluster differ along cultural lines. The topic is relevant for contrastive lexicology, paremiology and the theory of folklore