TRANSFORMATION OF POLYSEMANTIC PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS IN WRITER'S INDIVIDUAL STYLE

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 22 TRANSFORMATION OF POLYSEMANTIC PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS IN WRITER’S INDIVIDUAL STYLE Alimjanova Shohsanam Azamat qizi Mirzo Ulugʻbek nomidagi Oʻzbekiston Milliy Universiteti 3-bosqich tayanch doktoranti ORCID: 0009-0009-6608-8918 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17785746 Annotation. In this article, we try to examine how authors transform polysemantic phraseological units to create an individual, Distinctive literary style. The study explores the semantic, structural, and stylistic mechanisms that allow writers to modify the conventional form and meaning of polysemantic phraseological units, giving them new expressive potential. Through contextual and stylistic analysis of literary texts, the research demonstrates how such transformations enhance imagery, intensify emotional coloring, and contribute to the originality of narrative style. The findings highlight the role of polysemy as a resource for creative stylistic usage in literary discourse. Keywords: polysemantic phraseological units, individual style, semantics, stylistic effect, literary discourse. Annotatsiya: Ushbu maqolada biz yozuvchining individual oʻziga xos adabiy uslub yaratish uchun polisemantik frazeologik birliklardan foydalanish imkoniyatlarini koʻrib chiqishga harakat qilamiz. Maqolada polisemantik frazeologik birliklarning turli kontekstual ma’nolar hosil qilishga imkon beradigan semantik, strukturaviy va stilistik mexanizmlari tahlil qilingan boʻlib, bu yozuvchilarga yangi individual uslub imkoniyatlarini kengaytirishga yordam beradi. Adabiy matnlarning kontekstual va stilistik tahlili bunday foydalanishlarning asar ta’sirchanligini qay tarzda kuchaytirishi, hissiy boʻyoqdorlikni oshirishi va asar tilining oʻziga xosligiga qanday hissa qoʻshishini koʻsatadi. Tadqiqot natijalari adabiy nutqda ijodiy uslub va stilistik xususiyatlar uchun resurs sifatida polisemiyaning rolini ochib beradi. Kalit soʻzlar: polisemantik frazeologik birliklar, individual uslub, semantika, stilistik ta’sir, adabiy nutq. Phraseological units represent one of the most expressive and culturally loaded components of a language. They encapsulate collective experience, figurative imagery, and evaluative meanings, making them indispensable in both everyday communication and artistic expression. Among them, polysemantic phraseological units hold particular significance due to their ability to convey several interconnected meanings. Their semantic multiplicity allows authors to activate different layers of meaning depending on the context, thus enriching the stylistic and expressive quality of a text. In literary discourse, phraseological units rarely remain in their fixed dictionary form. Writers often modify or creatively transform them to serve specific artistic purposes, such as intensifying imagery, creating irony, revealing character psychology, or adding emotional nuance. These transformations are especially effective when applied to polysemantic units because their inherent semantic flexibility provides a fertile ground for reinterpretation. As a result, transformed idioms function not merely as ready-made expressions but as dynamic 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 23 elements shaped by the author’s individual vision. The study of such transformations is essential for understanding how an author’s individual style emerges and develops. Through structural alterations, semantic shifts, and stylistic usage, writers adapt conventional phraseological units to their narrative needs. Examining these processes allows us to identify the mechanisms through which literary originality is achieved and to explore how polysemous expressions contribute to the unique tone, rhythm, and emotional coloring of a text. Therefore, this article aims to analyze the ways in which polysemantic phraseological units are transformed within an author’s individual style, focusing on their semantic, structural, and stylistic modifications. By investigating these modifications in literary contexts, we try to demonstrate how transformation serves as a stylistic tool that enriches literary discourse and highlights the role of polysemy as a resource for creative expression. Phraseological units are defined as stable combinations of words with a fixed or semifixed structure and figurative meaning (Kunin, 1996; Vinogradov, 1947). Within this system, polysemantic phraseological units are distinguished by their capacity to realize multiple interrelated meanings depending on context (Amosova, 1963; Sinclair, 1991). These units typically possess a dominant meaning alongside secondary, context-dependent meanings, which authors can activate to enrich stylistic and expressive qualities (Vinogradov, 1947; Kunin, 1996). The polysemy of phraseological units enables creative manipulation, allowing authors to reinterpret, shift, or expand the meaning of an idiom without losing its recognizability (Sinclair, 1991; Amosova, 1963). Such flexibility is a fundamental resource for literary and stylistic innovation. In phraseological studies, transformation refers to the intentional alteration of a phraseological units meaning, structure, or stylistic function while preserving its identifiable core (Mieder, 2004; Moon, 1998). Transformations serve as productive stylistic devices that allow writers to create new semantic nuances and expressive effects. Transformation mechanisms include: 1. Semantic transformation – reinterpretation of meaning through context or activation of a non-dominant meaning. 2. Structural transformation – modifications to the phraseological unit’s lexical or grammatical structure, including substitution, expansion, reduction, inversion, or syntactic reorganization (Mieder, 2004). 3. Stylistic transformation – refunctionalization in a new stylistic register, such as irony, humor, or poetic expression (Moon, 1998; Sinclair, 1991). These mechanisms allow phraseological units to gain new expressive potential while maintaining their associative background. The concept of individual style (idiolect) refers to the unique linguistic manner in which an author expresses thought, constructs narrative voice, and conveys worldview (Bally, 1950; Leech & Short, 2007; Galperin, 1978). Phraseological units are especially flexible tools for expressing individuality, as their figurative and expressive nature allows writers to modify or reinterpret them to suit narrative goals. Authors often transform phraseological units to emphasize character identity or emotion, create humor, irony, or dramatic effects, enhance imagery or symbolic meaning, refresh conventional language and avoid cliché (Mieder, 2004; Moon, 1998). Thus, transformation of polysemantic PUs is a key marker of authorial stylistic originality. 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 24 The polysemous nature of phraseological units significantly enhances their stylistic potential. Multiple meanings can be activated depending on context, allowing authors to: - produce semantic layering, - create ambiguity or dual interpretations, - contrast literal and figurative meanings, - shift between dominant and non-dominant meanings for artistic effect (Kunin, 1996; Sinclair, 1991).\ In this way, polysemy serves as a catalyst for transformation, making polysemantic phraseological units’ dynamic elements in the author’s stylistic usage. The phraseological unit “bloody nose” in English demonstrates polysemantic flexibility. In a journalistic context, for example: - “Opposition voters… flocked to the candidate best placed to defeat the incumbent Conservative…a ‘bloody nose’.” Here, the phraseological unknit carries a figurative meaning, denoting a symbolic defeat or minor setback. The phraseological unit’svliteral sense of physical injury is extended metaphorically to the political domain, creating vivid evaluative imagery. In contrast, Jennings’ narrative (Now we are thirty-something) uses the idiom in a literal, humorous context: - “Kids fight over supper, get (a) bloody nose…” (Jennings, Now we are thirty something). The phraseological unit conveys physical injury, typical of everyday colloquial expression, adding humor and realism to the scene. These examples illustrate context-driven semantic transformation. The phraseological unit retains recognizability but acquires different expressive and stylistic functions depending on the narrative goal The example in Uzbek language illustrate how a single phraseological unit, such as “yorug‘ dunyo “ (“bright world”), manifests multiple meanings depending on the context and authorial intention. In T. Malik’s Charxpalak, yorug‘ dunyo carries a metaphorical and evaluative sense linked to human experience: “1 kishi hayot kechiradigan yer yuzi” (the world where a person lives): - Bilmaganga olmang o‘zingizni, xonim. Siz mana bu yemi, – To‘xtamish chap ko‘kragiga mushtladi, – yetim qilib qo‘yganingizdan beri mendan g‘aribroq yo‘q bu yorug‘ dunyoda. (T.Malik. Charxpalak). Here, the unit contrasts the bright world with a “dark world,” reflecting religious and philosophical dimensions. Malik’s use transforms the conventional phrase into a vehicle for existential and moral evaluation, thereby enriching the narrative’s emotional and thematic depth In contrast, A. Qahhor’s Maston interprets yorug‘ dunyo as freedom and opportunity, emphasizing the ordinary, secular aspect of life: - “Biz yorug‘ dunyoni ko‘rish uchun tug‘ilganmiz, Turg‘unoy!”(A.Qahhor, Maston). This shift illustrates a semantic transformation, where the dominant figurative meaning of “bright world” is adapted to convey personal liberation and human potential (Sinclair, 1991). The analysis of polysemantic phraseological units in literary texts demonstrates that authors actively transform idiomatic expressions to reflect their individual style and convey nuanced meanings. Through semantic, structural, and stylistic modifications, polysemantic phraseological units move beyond their conventional dictionary meanings, acquiring new expressive, evaluative, or humorous functions. The examples of “yorug‘ dunyo” in Uzbek literature illustrate how a single idiom can shift meaning according to philosophical, social, or personal contexts, thereby enhancing imagery, emotional depth, and narrative originality. 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 25 Similarly, the English idiom “bloody nose” shows how authors exploit polysemy to create both literal and figurative effects, from humor in everyday situations to evaluative commentary in political discourse. These examples collectively demonstrate several key points about transformation in authorial style: 1. Semantic flexibility allows authors to shift meanings depending on narrative goals. Polysemantic phraseological units can be adapted to convey moral, social, or personal significance without losing their idiomatic identity. 2. Contextual determination is essential for activating specific semantic variants. The immediate literary context signals whether the idiom should be read literally, metaphorically, or evaluatively, making polysemantic units highly dynamic stylistic tools. 3. Stylistic enhancement arises from transformations that serve emotional, evaluative, or expressive functions. By modifying the meaning or applying idioms in novel contexts, authors reinforce narrative voice, enrich imagery, and create literary originality (Leech & Short, 2007). Overall, polysemantic phraseological units function as dynamic instruments of stylistic creativity, enabling writers to refresh conventional language and produce original, contextsensitive expressions. Their study provides valuable insight into the interplay between language, meaning, and individual literary style, demonstrating that phraseology is not merely a repository of fixed expressions, but a flexible and versatile component of literary discourse. 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