THE CATEGORY OF TIME AS A UNIVERSAL LINGUISTIC CATEGORY

Abstract

The article examines the category of time as a universal linguistic category reflecting the ways temporal relations are conceptualized in language. The philosophical foundations of the category of time, the specific features of temporality in language, and the interpretation of time as a functional-semantic category are analyzed. It is shown that temporality represents a complex multi-level system of means combining grammatical, syntactic, and lexical markers. Particular attention is paid to the functional-semantic approach, according to which the category of time is interpreted as a functional-semantic field that includes core and peripheral components. Examples from Uzbek, Russian, and English demonstrate different ways of expressing temporal relations. The study concludes that the universal nature of the category of time manifests itself in the presence of common semantic foundations alongside typologically conditioned differences in the linguistic means used to express it.