HUMOUR AS A STYLISTIC AND PRAGMATIC DEVICE IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK LITERATURE

Abstract

This article explores humour as a culturally mediated stylistic and pragmatic phenomenon through a comparative analysis of English and Uzbek literary texts. Drawing on linguistic theories of humour and pragmatic approaches to meaning construction, the study examines how humorous effects are generated through irony, satire, exaggeration, and narrative incongruity. A qualitative comparative methodology is applied to selected canonical novels and short prose from both literary traditions. The analysis reveals that, despite shared narrative functions such as character construction and reader engagement, humour in English literature tends to operate through indirect evaluation and pragmatic inference, whereas Uzbek literary humour more frequently foregrounds explicit social critique and culturally grounded moral reflection. These findings contribute to comparative literary stylistics and underline the role of humour as a form of culturally situated communication with implications for literary pedagogy and intercultural interpretation.