Psychological factors in word choice: a comparative study of Uzbek and English speakers

This article examines the psychological factors influencing lexical selection,comparing native Uzbek and English speakers. It explores how cognitive, affective, and sociocultural dimensions—including linguistic relativity, emotional valence, social context, and cultural schemas—differentially shape word choice in these distinct language systems. The study employs a framework integrating psycholinguistics, cognitive linguistics, and sociolinguistics to analyze empirical data from verbal tasks and discourse analysis. Key findings reveal that Uzbek speakers' word selection is strongly guided by social hierarchy, formality distinctions, and collectivist cultural values, whereas English speakers exhibit greater emphasis on individualism, directness, and emotional expression. The article contributes to understanding the psychological interface between language, thought, and culture and offers practical implications for cross-cultural communication, language teaching, and translation.