Abstract
In this paper, I propose a decompositional lexical semantic analysis of the plural noun imaginings. The data for this study are sourced from the Corpus of Historical American English (COHA), and as analytical framework an object-oriented semantics based on the Unified Eventity Representation (UER) is deployed. After presenting the background to this study and introducing the data and methods, I discuss the results of the corpus data analyses. Frequencies across genres and decades, collocated adjectives and their evaluative strength, coordinated nouns, nominal genitives preceding the target word, and prepositional phrases embedded in the target word’s noun phrase are screened for their contribution to the meaning specification. The results feed into the development of a lexical semantic description for imaginings, and substantiate that the semantics of imaginings—and its corresponding verb imagine—are closely related to that of remember.
Highlights
To the best of my knowledge, there are no lexical semantic studies available that address the lexical semantics of mental state or process nouns such as imaginings
What the Corpus Data Tell Us The first observation is the very low frequency with which the word imaginings occurs in Corpus of Historical American English (COHA)
E.g., Schalley and Kuhn (2007), I do not focus on different readings of the noun imaginings, as there is no clear evidence that this rare noun has distinct readings
Summary
Crane, Lind and Bowler (2013: 158) posit: As well as being defining properties of episodic memory, autonoetic awareness and self-referential cognition are crucial for episodic future thinking (imagining future events). Are these two cognitive skills thought to be supported by the same underlying cognitive process [...], they are known to share the same core neurocognitive system [...]. Evidence for this hypothesis stems from research that demonstrates similar characteristics of both past and future thinking
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
