THE PRINCIPLE OF RELATIVITY AND BINARY OPPOSITION IN UZBEK HYDRONYMY: A STRUCTURAL-SEMANTIC ANALYSIS

Abstract

This paper explores the structural and semantic mechanics of spatial relativity and binary opposition in the Uzbek hydronymic system. In toponymy, the necessity for precise geographical orientation frequently results in the comparative naming of adjacent water bodies. Utilizing a structural-semantic methodology, this study investigates how the “principle of relativity” generates binary semantic oppositions (e.g., large/small, fresh/salty) within Uzbek water names. Furthermore, the research identifies the linguistic phenomenon of toponymic ellipsis, where in generic identifiers are historically dropped for phonetic and communicative economy. The findings provide a comprehensive understanding of the cognitive and structural patterns governing antonymic paired hydronyms in agglutinative languages