☰ Contents · Uzbek language

Stylistics of word order in the sentence

Lessons 19 · 1 lessons · N.M. Mahmudov, A.Sh. Sobirov, Y.R. Odilov, G.Sh. Ziyodullayeva. Ona tili (Uzbek language), Grade 10, 1st edition. “O‘zbekiston milliy ensiklopediyasi” State Scientific Publishing House, Tashkent, 2017
19

Syntactic means in speech styles. Stylistics of word order in the sentence

Textbook: pp. 64–67
GoalExplain the normal and changed (inverted) word order and the role of logical stress.
New words
word order · so‘z tartibiinversion (changed order) · inversiyalogical stress · mantiq urg‘usipredicate · kesim
Explanation

In Uzbek the sentence has a normal word order: the subject comes first, the predicate after; the attribute stands before the word it defines, and the object and adverbial before the predicate, so the predicate is usually at the end of the sentence. For a stylistic purpose this order can be changed; the changed order is called inversion. In the scientific and official styles the order is mostly kept strictly, while in the colloquial, artistic and publicistic styles inversion occurs and it is especially frequent in poetry. Word order also changes with logical stress: the member to be emphasised is placed before the predicate, next to it. For example, in «Akam kecha kitobni kutubxonadan oldi» (“My brother took the book from the library yesterday”) «kutubxonadan» carries the logical stress: the book was taken not from another place but from the library.

Worked examples
Normal: «Bahor keldi.» (“Spring has come.”) Inversion: «Keldi bahor, ochildi gullar» (“Spring came, the flowers opened”) – the predicate moved forward, giving liveliness and a poetic tone.
Logical stress: in «Sinfdoshim kecha kinoga bordi» (“My classmate went to the cinema yesterday”) the stress is on «kinoga» (not to another place); in «Sinfdoshim kinoga kecha bordi» the stress is on «kecha» (not on another day).
Class activity

“Move the stress”: one sentence is written; groups move words so that each time a different member gets the stress and explain the meaning.

Practice
1
What is the normal word order in a sentence?
2
Write the normal order of «Ochildi gullar bog‘larda».
3
On which member is the stress in «Do‘stim kitobni menga berdi» and in «Do‘stim menga kitobni berdi»?
4
Why is inversion rare in the scientific style?