THE EXPRESSION OF MODALITY THROUGH VERBS IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK: A CONTRASTIVE LINGUISTIC OVERVIEW

INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL CONFERENCE “INTEGRATION OF MODERN LINGUISTICS WITH SCIENCE, EDUCATION, AND PRACTICE IN THE PROCESS OF GLOBALIZATION: NEW APPROACHES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND CHALLENGES”, DECEMBER 4, 2025 105 THE EXPRESSION OF MODALITY THROUGH VERBS IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK: A CONTRASTIVE LINGUISTIC OVERVIEW 1Guzal Ismailova, 2Xasanova Muborak 1English Linguistics Departments, NSU, 2The Student of NSU https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17791898 Abstract. This research provides an extensive comparative analysis of how English and Uzbek express modality through verbal structures. The study explores grammatical, semantic, and functional dimensions of modality, focusing on auxiliary systems in English and agglutinative morphology in Uzbek. Categories such as obligation, possibility, probability, permission, and speaker stance are examined. Despite significant structural differences, both languages demonstrate parallel functional strategies for encoding modal nuances. Keywords: modality; modal auxiliaries; Uzbek verbal morphology; evidential markers; modality expression; TAM; comparative linguistics. Annotatsiya. Ushbu maqolada ingliz va o‘zbek tillarida modal ma’noning fe’l orqali ifodalanishiga oid keng qamrovli qiyosiy tahlil taqdim etiladi. Tadqiqotda modal yordamchi fe’llar, agglutinativ morfologiya, analitik va sintetik qurilmalar, shuningdek evidensial affikslar va modal konstruksiyalar batafsil yoritiladi. Zaruriyat, ehtimollik, imkoniyat, ruxsat va so‘zlovchi munosabati kabi asosiy modal kategoriyalar chuqur tahlil qilinadi. Kalit so‘zlar: modalitet; ingliz modal tizimi; o‘zbek modal tizimi; evidensiallik; yordamchi fe’llar; modal qo‘shimchalar; TAM; tipologiya. Introduction Modality is a core linguistic category indicating how speakers evaluate the likelihood, necessity, or permissibility of an event. In both English and Uzbek, verbs form the central mechanism for conveying modal meanings. However, the means through which modality is expressed differ notably due to typological distinctions. English primarily utilizes modal auxiliaries such as must, can, may, and should, while Uzbek relies on rich verbal morphology, modal affixes, evidential markers, conditional structures, and lexical-modal verbs, including kerak, mumkin, and lozim. Modal Expression in English English modality is expressed through several key mechanisms: 1. Central modal auxiliaries: can, could, may, might, must, should, shall, will, would These auxiliaries lack participle forms, do not take -s in the third person singular, and combine with bare infinitives. They express both epistemic and deontic meanings. Examples: She must be at home. (epistemic) You must finish your work. (deontic) 2. Semi-modals: be able to, have to, need to, be allowed to INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL CONFERENCE “INTEGRATION OF MODERN LINGUISTICS WITH SCIENCE, EDUCATION, AND PRACTICE IN THE PROCESS OF GLOBALIZATION: NEW APPROACHES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND CHALLENGES”, DECEMBER 4, 2025 106 These forms offer nuanced modal meanings beyond core modals. 3. Modal adverbials: probably, certainly, possibly Such adverbials refine the speaker’s degree of certainty. 4. Analytical constructions: Auxiliaries such as be, have, and do help express negation, interrogation, progressive and perfect aspects, and passive voice. Modal Expression in Uzbek Uzbek modality is predominantly expressed through agglutinative morphology and modal lexemes. 1. Modal affixes: –sa (conditional/hypothetical) –sin (imperative/polite directive) –ar / –adi (potential/habitual) –mish (evidential) –dir (assumption) 2. Lexical-modal predicates: kerak, shart, lozim — obligation mumkin — possibility/permission bo‘lishi mumkin — probability 3. Auxiliary-based constructions: olmoq — ability, completeness qo‘ymoq — insistence, repeated action yubormoq — suddenness bermoq — permissive or causative nuance 4. Participial modality: –adigan, –gan, –yotgan help encode subordinate modal relations: U keladigan bo‘lsa… Comparative Discussion Although both languages utilize verbs to encode modality, their strategies differ significantly: • English relies on analytic constructions; Uzbek uses synthetic, agglutinative morphology. • English expresses modality mainly through auxiliary verbs; Uzbek through suffixes and modal predicates. • Uzbek includes obligatory evidentiality markers; English does not. • Obligation differs structurally: must / have to vs. kerak / lozim / shart. • Possibility is expressed as may / can vs. mumkin / –sa bo‘ladi. • Speaker stance is grammatically encoded more explicitly in Uzbek. Conclusion This comparative study demonstrates that English and Uzbek express modality through distinct structural mechanisms, yet maintain functional parallels in conveying speaker evaluation. English utilizes auxiliary systems and analytic forms, whereas Uzbek relies heavily on verbal morphology, evidential markers, and auxiliary-based constructions. These insights INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL CONFERENCE “INTEGRATION OF MODERN LINGUISTICS WITH SCIENCE, EDUCATION, AND PRACTICE IN THE PROCESS OF GLOBALIZATION: NEW APPROACHES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND CHALLENGES”, DECEMBER 4, 2025 107 carry importance for translation studies, language teaching, typological classification, and crosslinguistic analysis, offering a deeper understanding of how languages structure modal meaning. REFERENCES 1. Huddleston, R., & Pullum, G. K. (2002). The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. 2. Palmer, F. R. (2001). Mood and Modality. 3. Saeed, J. I. (2016). Semantics. 4. Qo‘shqarov, A. (2010). 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