Tolerance in Proverbial Discourse: A Comparative Linguocultural and Semantic-Field Analysis of English, Russian, and Uzbek

Abstract

This study investigates how the concept of tolerance is linguoculturally represented in proverbial discourse across English, Russian, and Uzbek. Proverbs are treated as culturally marked, norm-oriented units that compress social experience into concise evaluative models guiding interpersonal behavior. The study employs a mixed-methods design combining semantic-field analysis, microfield coding, and quantitative comparison of distributions across languages. The empirical dataset consists of N = 90 proverbs (English n=30; Russian n=30; Uzbek n=30), selected from publicly accessible paremiological sources and categorized into four tolerance microfields: (1) reciprocity and respect; (2) adaptation to “foreign” norms and customs; (3) soft speech and communicative restraint; (4) peace and social harmony. Quantitative analysis (descriptive statistics and chi-square tests) demonstrates a statistically meaningful difference in microfield distribution across languages, with English proverbs favoring reciprocity-based ethics, Russian proverbs emphasizing norm-adaptation and communal order, and Uzbek proverbs prioritizing speech ethics and harmony-preserving communication. Qualitative interpretation reveals culturally specific metaphorical patterns and normative framing: tolerance is conceptualized not as abstract ideology but as a pragmatic-social competence maintained through speech, self-restraint, and social adaptation. The findings contribute to linguocultural concept theory, comparative paremiology, and tolerance-oriented curriculum design in multilingual education.