ADOLESCENT LEXICAL GROWTH AND THE IMPACT OF METALINGUISTIC SKILLS: A CROSS-LINGUISTIC STUDY

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHERS ISSN: 3030-332X Impact factor: 8,293 Volume 14, issue 2, November 2025 https://wordlyknowledge.uz/index.php/IJSR worldly knowledge Index: google scholar, research gate, research bib, zenodo, open aire. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=ru&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=wosjournals.com&btnG https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Worldly-Knowledge https://journalseeker.researchbib.com/view/issn/3030-332X 177 ADOLESCENT LEXICAL GROWTH AND THE IMPACT OF METALINGUISTIC SKILLS: A CROSS-LINGUISTIC STUDY Madrakhimova Dilnoza G‘ulom qizi Teacher at Uzbek State World Languages University Abstract: This study investigates the relationship between metalinguistic awareness and lexical growth in adolescents across different linguistic backgrounds. By examining vocabulary acquisition, word learning strategies and metalinguistic skills using published datasets, the research highlights how adolescents develop lexical competence and the role of metalinguistic awareness in facilitating language growth. Examples are drawn from existing cross-linguistic studies to provide insights into both linguistic and cognitive development. Key words: Adolescent lexical development, Metalinguistic awareness, Cross-linguistic comparison, Vocabulary acquision. Introduction. Adolescence is a critical period for lexical development, during which individuals expand their vocabulary, refine semantic networks and develop strategies for understanding and producing complex language. Metalinguistic awareness, the ability to reflect on and manipulate language structures, plays a crucial role in facilitating this lexical growth. Adolescents with higher metalinguistic skills are often better equipped to notice word patterns, understand multiple meanings and acquire new vocabulary more effectively. This study explores how metalinguistic awareness contributes to lexical growth in adolescents, with a focus on cross-linguistic differences. By analyzing data from published research, the study examines the interplay between cognitive skills, linguistic knowledge and vocabulary acquisition strategies in adolescent language development. The research focuses on adolescent learners from different linguistic backgrounds as reported in published studies. The main subject is the impact of metalinguistic skills on lexical development, including vocabulary expansion, recognition of word meanings and strategies for learning new words. The study uses data from prior empirical research to illustrate how adolescents reflect on language, make use of linguistic rules and apply metalinguistic insights to facilitate vocabulary acquisition. Analysis of published data across English, Russian and Uzbek adolescents indicates that metalinguistic awareness significantly enhances lexical development. In English-speaking adolescents, learners with higher metalinguistic skills demonstrated better understanding of polysemous words, idiomatic expressions and complex morphological forms. They effectively used context to infer new word meanings and generalize learning strategies across unfamiliar vocabulary. Russian-speaking adolescents showed that awareness of morphological structures, including roots, prefixes and suffixes, facilitated systematic vocabulary expansion. Their reflective metalinguistic reasoning allowed them to deduce meanings of unfamiliar words and comprehend nuanced semantic distinctions. For Uzbek-speaking adolescents, studies highlighted the role of metalinguistic skills in handling loanwords, neologisms and culturespecific terms. Participants with stronger metalinguistic awareness were able to categorize words semantically, map relationships between new and known vocabulary and recognize subtle semantic variations, which supported rapid lexical development. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHERS ISSN: 3030-332X Impact factor: 8,293 Volume 14, issue 2, November 2025 https://wordlyknowledge.uz/index.php/IJSR worldly knowledge Index: google scholar, research gate, research bib, zenodo, open aire. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=ru&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=wosjournals.com&btnG https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Worldly-Knowledge https://journalseeker.researchbib.com/view/issn/3030-332X 178 These findings collectively demonstrate that adolescents with greater metalinguistic awareness exhibit stronger lexical growth across different linguistic contexts. While the strategies may vary due to language structure and cultural context, the underlying cognitive and reflective processes are consistent. Metalinguistic skills enable learners to analyze word structures, infer meanings from context and apply learned strategies across languages. Furthermore, the results underscore the importance of integrating metalinguistic training into language education, as it facilitates vocabulary acquisition, improves comprehension and fosters the ability to navigate complex linguistic environments. By emphasizing reflective language practices, educators can enhance adolescents’ capacity to learn new words efficiently and adoptively, regardless of their native language. Discussion. The findings from published data indicate that adolescents with greater metalinguistic awareness consistently show stronger lexical development across all linguistic groups. Metalinguistic awareness enables learners to analyze word structures, infer meanings and apply learned strategies across languages, demonstrating its pivotal role in vocabulary acquisition. These results have significant implications for language education, suggesting that fostering metalinguistic skills can enhance lexical growth and support effective learning in adolescents. Conclusion. Metalinguistic awareness is a key factor in adolescent lexical growth, supporting vocabulary expansion, comprehension and effective language learning strategies. By analyzing published data from English, Russian and Uzbek adolescents, this study illustrates both universal patterns and cross-linguistic variations in the relationship between metalinguistic skills and lexical development. Understanding these dynamics is essential for educators, linguistics and psychologists aiming to foster effective language learning and to design instructional approaches that enhance metalinguistic reflection and vocabulary acquisition in adolescents. References: 1. Bialystok, E. (2001). Metalinguistic aspects of bilingual processing. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 21, 169-181. 2. Gombert, J.E. (1992). Metalinguistic Development. University of Chicago Press. 3. Karpova, O. (2018). Lexical development in adolescents: A cross-linguistic perspective. Journal of Linguistic Studies, 12(2), 45-62. 4. Nation, I.S.P. (2001). Learning Vocabulary in Another Language. Cambridge University Press.