THE OCCURRENCE OF LEXICAL DOUBLETS IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK LANGUAGES

Abstract

Lexical doublets, or pairs of words that share the same etymological origin but have developed different forms or meanings over time, represent an important phenomenon in historical and comparative linguistics. This paper examines the occurrence, formation, and development of lexical doublets in English and Uzbek, emphasizing their historical, phonological, and semantic aspects. By analyzing how these pairs emerge through borrowing, semantic differentiation, and morphological variation, this study highlights the linguistic processes that shape the lexicon of both languages. The findings reveal that while English doublets mainly result from multiple borrowings through different linguistic routes (e.g., Latin and French), Uzbek doublets emerge primarily through interactions with Persian, Arabic, Russian, and Turkic dialectal variations. This comparative perspective contributes to a deeper understanding of how contact, history, and cultural exchange influence lexical diversity in both English and Uzbek.