PRIORITY DIRECTIONS OF MODERN LINGUISTICS AND THEIR RESEARCH OBJECTS

Аннотация

This article examines the paradigm shift occurring in 21st-century linguistics, with particular focus on the transition from a structuralist, system-centered approach to an anthropocentric model that places the human being at the center of linguistic inquiry. The study analyzes the methodological foundations and research objects of five major modern directions: cognitive linguistics, linguoculturology, computational and corpus linguistics, sociolinguistics, and psycholinguistics. Special attention is given to cognitive linguistics and its central unit — the concept — as well as to linguoculturology and its investigation of language as a carrier of national identity. The role of digital technologies in transforming linguistic research is assessed through an examination of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and the development of the Uzbek Language National Corpus (uzcorpora.uz). The article further explores applied branches such as forensic linguistics and neurolinguistics, highlighting their contribution to solving real-world social and legal problems. The findings demonstrate that contemporary linguistics operates as an integrative science, drawing on psychology, neurology, sociology, and computer science. The article concludes with recommendations for advancing Uzbek linguistics through the harmonization of cognitive and corpus methods and the expansion of AI-based morphological and semantic modeling