THE CONCEPT OF "YOUTH" IN LINGUISTIC THINKING

This article analyzes the representation of the concept of “youth” in Uzbek folklore from linguocognitive and linguocultural perspectives. From the standpoint of anthropocentric linguistics, the stages of human thinking, aspirations, and life experience formation are revealed through proverbs and literary characters. The proverb “Youth is recklessness” is examined as a semantic field, and its components such as playfulness, inexperience, exploration, and personal development are identified. Additionally, the relationship between youth psychology and folk pedagogical views is demonstrated using the works Shum Bola and Riding the Yellow Giant. The study proves that in Uzbek cultural consciousness youth is interpreted not as a negative phenomenon but as a necessary stage of personal formation.