THE ROLE OF BILINGUALISM IN IMPROVING SPEAKING SKILLS OF STUDENTS LEARNING ENGLISH AS A SECOND FOREIGN LANGUAGE: EVIDENCE FROM UZBEKISTAN

This article investigates the influence of widespread Uzbek-Russian bilingualism in Uzbekistan on the development of speaking skills (pronunciation, fluency, intonation, and communicative confidence) among students learning English as a second foreign language (L3). It demonstrates that bilingualism improves speaking skills by enhancing metalinguistic awareness, cross-linguistic transfer, and cognitive flexibility. The study primarily draws on dissertations and research conducted in Uzbekistan (Sh. S. Alimov (1985), O. Kh. Abduvaliyeva (2025), I. M. Kholiqjonova & Kh. M. Sotvaldiyeva (2025), etc.). These works confirm the superiority of bilingual students over monolingual peers in phonological awareness, pronunciation accuracy, fluency, and communicative readiness. Problems of interference and their pedagogical solutions are also analyzed. The article provides practical recommendations on using bilingualism as a resource in English language teaching, applying contrastive analysis, and translanguaging methods.