FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES AND FUNCTIONAL-AESTHETIC POTENTIAL OF PUNCTUATION IN LITERARY TEXTS

Abstract

This paper investigates the fundamental principles and functional-aesthetic potential of punctuation in literary texts, with particular attention to its syntactic, semantic, prosodic, and pragmatic dimensions. Using descriptive, functional-stylistic, and comparative approaches, the study examines how punctuation marks contribute to textual organization, emotional expressiveness, narrative rhythm, and the representation of authorial intention. Selected examples from English literary works are considered alongside general characteristics of Uzbek literary punctuation. The analysis demonstrates that punctuation operates beyond its conventional grammatical function by participating in the construction of artistic meaning, the representation of psychological states, and the regulation of readers’ interpretative processes. Particular emphasis is placed on the interaction between normative punctuation and stylistically motivated deviations. The study concludes that punctuation constitutes an important component of literary poetics and should be examined as an integrated system of grammatical, communicative, and aesthetic resources.