COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ETIQUETTE FORMS IN RUSSIAN AND UZBEK SPEECH CULTURE
Gulnoza Turdalieva, Uzbekistan
INTRODUCTION
Speech etiquette is an essential component of speech culture that reflects the worldview, cultural values, and social norms of a nation. Studying etiquette formulas in different languages allows researchers to uncover their national-cultural characteristics. Russian and Uzbek languages belong to different language families and cultural traditions; therefore, they demonstrate significant differences in addressing, politeness strategies, and verbal interaction norms.
In Uzbek communication culture, politeness formulas are rooted in Eastern traditions emphasizing respect for elders, humility, and spiritual blessings. Russian speech etiquette, in contrast, embodies European-oriented communicative norms characterized by standardization, explicitness, and formality.
The aim of this article is to analyze and compare etiquette forms in Russian and Uzbek speech culture, identify their similarities and differences, and highlight their cultural foundations.
MAIN PART
1. Linguo-cultural foundations of speech etiquette
In Uzbek culture, politeness often carries emotional warmth and spiritual meaning, appearing in expressions such as Assalomu alaykum, Rahmat, Marhamat, or Xayrli kun bo‘lsin.
Russian politeness formulas reflect social roles and institutional communication norms. Expressions such as «Здравствуйте», «Пожалуйста», «Благодарю», «Извините» represent a more standardized and formalized system of etiquette.
2. Forms of address
Russian uses both informal «ты» and formal «вы» pronouns. The formal address often includes the structure first name + patronymic, e.g., «Александр Иванович», which signifies respect.
Uzbek, by comparison, uses various honorifics such as aka, opa, ustoz, xonim, and kinship-based forms (ukam, jo‘ram), which reflect age hierarchy, social status, and emotional closeness.
3. Greeting and leave-taking etiquette
Uzbek greetings frequently include blessings and wishes.
Russian greetings use standardized formulas such as «Здравствуйте», «Доброе утро», «Добрый день», «Добрый вечер».
Leave-taking formulas include «До свидания», «Всего доброго», «Удачи», which maintain politeness and communicative distance.
4. Expressions of gratitude, apology, and request
Uzbek expressions (Rahmat, Katta rahmat, Uzr, Iltimos) often include humility and emotional warmth.
Russian equivalents are more concise:
— gratitude: «Спасибо», «Большое спасибо»
— apology: «Извините», «Прошу прощения»
— request: «Пожалуйста», «Можно?», «Будьте добры»
5. Pragmatic differences and communicative behavior
Uzbek communication favors indirectness and emotional closeness, while Russian communication often values directness and explicitness, especially in official settings.
As a result, direct Russian questions may sound too sharp to Uzbek speakers, whereas Uzbek indirect requests may appear overly vague or ambiguous to Russians.
CONCLUSION
The comparative analysis demonstrates substantial differences between Russian and Uzbek speech etiquettes. Uzbek etiquette is deeply influenced by Eastern traditions, hierarchical relationships, and the value of humility. Russian etiquette, meanwhile, is shaped by European cultural norms, emphasizing formal address, standardization, and communicative distance.
