STRUCTURAL AND LINGUISTIC DEVICES USED IN HUMOROUS IDIOMS: A CROSS-LINGUISTIC COMPARISON

Humor embedded in idiomatic expressions reflects not only language play but also deep cultural, cognitive, and rhetorical structures. This study presents a cross-linguistic comparison of humorous idioms in English and Uzbek, focusing on the structural and linguistic devices that make them effective and culturally resonant. Drawing on a corpus of 10 idioms (5 from each language), we categorize the devices into metaphor, hyperbole, irony, punning, phonological play, and structural repetition. Our analysis reveals that while both languages use similar humorous mechanisms, their usage reflects distinct linguistic traditions and cultural contexts. Uzbek idioms tend to rely more on hyperbole, animal metaphors, and rural imagery, whereas English idioms frequently feature irony, understatement, and visual metaphor. The study concludes by discussing implications for translation, second language instruction, and intercultural communication.