The System of Non-Canonical Antonym Pairs in English Presidential Speeches and Proverbs

This article presents a comparative analysis of the semantic, axiological, and linguocultural features of English and Uzbek phraseological units and proverbs expressing moral values. The study uses a purposively selected sample of 32 conventional expressions organized into 16 comparative pairs. Comparative semantic and linguocultural analysis examines each unit’s conceptual core, evaluative orientation, figurative motivation, and pragmatic function. Particular attention is paid to the linguistic representation of honesty, justice, conscience, generosity, loyalty, and responsibility. The findings indicate that idioms primarily characterize personal qualities or specific actions through figurative evaluation, whereas proverbs formulate established moral norms as generalized judgments, often serving instructive and regulatory purposes. Three types of cross-linguistic correspondence are identified: close semantic and figurative matches, partial correspondences, and functional analogues. The analysis demonstrates that shared ethical concepts do not necessarily entail identical cultural imagery, evaluative strategies, or communicative emphases. These findings offer insights for translation studies, lexicography, and intercultural communication.