THE ROLE OF SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEXT IN UZBEK- AND ENGLISH-LANGUAGE ADVERTISING: A LINGUOCULTURAL AND SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS

Abstract

This article examines how social culture functions as a meaning-making “code” in Uzbek- and English-language advertising. Advertising is treated not merely as a marketing tool but as a cultural practice that circulates and reproduces values, norms, role expectations, and identity scripts. The framework integrates: (a) culture–consumer behavior links, (b) cultural-dimensions thinking in cross-cultural advertising research, (c) Hall’s high-/low-context communication, (d) the “advertising appeals” tradition, and (e) social semiotics and multimodal discourse analysis. The discussion highlights that Uzbek advertising often foregrounds collectivist and relational meanings (family, respect, tradition, trust) and is shaped by institutional constraints such as state-language requirements, whereas English-language advertising more frequently emphasizes individual choice, personal benefit, direct calls-to-action, and brand personhood. The key argument is that persuasive effectiveness depends strongly on cultural congruence and the localization of meanings—not simply on literal translation.