GENDER IDENTIFICATION THROUGH DIMINUTIVE AND ENDEARING AFFIXES IN UZBEK ANTHROPONYMY: A LINGUISTIC AND SOCIOLINGUISTIC ANALYSIS

Abstract

This article presents an in-depth linguistic and sociolinguistic analysis of diminutive and endearing affixes used in Uzbek personal names, particularly: –bonu, –boy, –poshsha, –xo‘ja, –jon, and –toy. These affixes are examined as linguistic units that reflect not only morphological and semantic roles but also the gendered worldview and cultural ideology of Uzbek society. Relying on frameworks of gender linguistics, poststructuralist theory, and cultural semiotics, the study views affixes not merely as grammatical tools but as ideological markers embedded in language use.