In the context of globalization, digital communication, and the growing dominance of standardized language forms, dialectal lexical units are increasingly marginalized in everyday communication. However, dialects continue to function as vital carriers of national culture, historical memory, and social identity. This study aims to investigate the role of dialect-specific lexical units in reflecting national identity through a comparative analysis of Uzbek and English dialects.

The research is grounded in linguocultural, sociolinguistic, and functional-semantic approaches. Empirical data were collected from regional Uzbek dialects and English dialectal sources, including spoken discourse, literary texts, and previous scholarly studies. More than fifty dialectal lexical units were selected based on their cultural specificity, emotional-evaluative potential, and limited equivalence in standard language. The data were analyzed using descriptive, comparative, and interpretative methods to reveal their semantic structure and communicative functions.

The findings demonstrate that in Uzbek dialects, national identity is predominantly reflected through lexical units related to kinship (qudachilik), neighborhood relations (mahalla), and traditional labor practices. These units embody collective values such as social solidarity, mutual responsibility, and respect for tradition, and they possess strong emotional and evaluative connotations. In contrast, English dialects primarily reflect national identity through rural life vocabulary, occupational terminology, and class-based linguistic markers. Dialectal expressions in English often function as indicators of social class, occupational background, and individual identity, highlighting the role of social stratification in linguistic variation.

The comparative analysis reveals that while both languages employ dialectal vocabulary as a means of cultural identification, Uzbek dialects emphasize collective and community-oriented identity, whereas English dialects foreground individual and class-based identity. The study concludes that dialect-specific lexical units should not be viewed as deviations from linguistic norms, but as essential components of national linguistic heritage. These findings have practical implications for linguocultural studies, language education, translation practice, and the preservation of intangible cultural heritage.

Dialectal lexical units, national identity, English dialects

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