The Linguopoetic Function of Oxymorons in the Works of A. Dabylov

This paper explores the linguopoetic and expressive properties of oxymorons within the poetic heritage of the prominent Karakalpak poet, A. Dabylov. Positioned at the intersection of stylistic contrast and semantic synthesis, the oxymoron serves as an essential tool for maximizing text imagery and revealing the author's psychological and aesthetic attitudes. By evaluating a wide range of text segments from Dabylov’s collections, this study uncovers how the poet pairs contrasting concepts—such as "keyless lock," "uneducated nation's poet," and "flowerless nightingale"—to produce sudden, metaphorical meanings that encapsulate the socioeconomic struggles, historical memory, and natural worldview of the Karakalpak people. The structural-semantic analysis demonstrates that while oxymorons share a binary opposition with antonyms and antitheses, they operate uniquely by merging opposites into a unified, descriptive concept rather than separating or negating them. Ultimately, this research sheds light on Dabylov’s linguistic mastery and contributes a new template to the stylistic and semantic investigation of early 20th-century Karakalpak poetry.