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Non-Verbal Expression of Negative Expressiveness in English and Uzbek

Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Negative expressiveness, the open display of disapproval, anger, disgust, contempt, irritation or disappointment, is realised not only through lexical and grammatical means but also through a rich repertoire of non-verbal signals. This article compares how such expressiveness is encoded in facial expression, gesture, posture, gaze, proxemics, haptics and paralanguage in English and Uzbek. Using a comparative-contrastive and linguocultural approach, and drawing on research on display rules and kinesics, the study distinguishes three groups of phenomena: (1) universal signals, such as the frown, the scowl and the averted gaze; (2) shared signals whose intensity, frequency and social acceptability differ between the two communities; and (3) culture-specific or lacunar signals with no direct counterpart in the other culture. The analysis suggests that English non-verbal negativity tends to be more individual, explicit and directed at the interlocutor, whereas Uzbek non-verbal negativity is more strongly regulated by age, status, gender and the norms of respect (hurmat), and is therefore more often conveyed through restraint, avoidance, silence and somatic idiom. The findings have implications for translation, foreign-language teaching and intercultural communication.
Source: HSR (London)
Language: English
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7225683215
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