Cognitive Linguistics Research Articles

Kto jest szczupakiem w czeskim stawie? Metafora pojęciowa polityka to staw w czeskim dyskursie politycznym

In this article, the author analyzes the conceptual metaphors politics is a pond, a politician is a carp and a politician is a pike in Czech political discourse. The investigation is based on the theory of conceptual metaphor and follows the principles of ethnolinguistics and cognitive linguistics. The author shows how the specific features of these conceptual metaphors relate to the Czech linguistic worldview and proposes metaphorical mapping that conveys salient features of the target domain (politics and politicians). The conceptual metaphor politics is a pond helps the speaker to depict a problematic domestic political situation that needs to be changed. The metaphors a politician is a carp and a politician is a pike are usually used to create the “friend-foe” opposition in political discourse. The conceptual metaphor a politician is a carp discloses the passivity and laziness of politicians and their inability or unwillingness to change the current situation. On the other hand, the conceptual metaphor a politician is a pike can be used to indicate both the positive qualities of a politician (activity, energy, initiative) and the negative ones (greed, selfishness, cruelty). The use of culturally specific conceptual metaphors allows a politician to establish close contact with the audience to increase the number of loyal voters.

Opozycja svij ‘swój’ – czużyj ‘obcy’: co zmieniło się podczas inwazji Rosji na Ukrainę?

Since cognitive linguistics explores the conceptual structures of human consciousness through their language manifestations relying on empirical methods, it provides a new approach to the study of binary oppositions. Despite numerous studies of this phenomenon, many of the questions raised here have not been fully answered. As binary oppositions are not absolutely stable structures inherent to human consciousness, we need to study them within specific linguacultures and explore their modification over different periods of time. This article presents an empirical study of the binary opposition sviy 'us (our)' – chuzhyy 'them (their)' in the minds of Ukrainian speakers based on the method of an associative experiment conducted in the period from 6 November 2022 to 29 February 2024. The data obtained were compared with the results of the experiments recorded in the Associative Thesaurus of the Ukrainian Language (UAS 2007). The aim of the study is to analyse the binary opposition sviy 'us (our)' – chuzhyy 'them (their)' and changes in its content and evaluative characteristics in the minds of Ukrainian speakers as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Animal Linguistics

Animal linguistics is an interdisciplinary field that integrates animal behavior, linguistics, and cognitive science to explore issues such as (a) what animal signals mean, (b) what cognitive abilities are necessary for the production and understanding of these signals, and (c) how communication systems have evolved. Despite the traditional belief that language evolved through a single mutation in our ancestors, accumulating evidence suggests that many cognitive abilities underlying human language have also evolved in nonhuman animals. For example, several species of birds and nonhuman primates convey conceptual meanings through specific vocalizations and/or combine multiple meaning-bearing calls into sequences using syntactic rules. Using experimental paradigms inspired by cognitive science and linguistics, animal linguistics aims to uncover the cognitive mechanisms underlying animal language and explores its evolutionary principles. This review examines previous studies exploring the meanings and cognitive abilities underlying animal language and introduces key methodologies in this emerging field.

Conceptual Metaphor “MEDIA AS A TRAP” in Vietnamese and English online Newspapers

The study explores the conceptual metaphor of "MEDIA AS A TRAP" in Vietnamese and English, aiming to understand perceptions of media in these linguistic contexts. Using the theory of conceptual metaphor in cognitive linguistics, alongside descriptive and semantic analysis methods, the research establishes and analyzes the mapping from the source domain of "TRAP" to the target domain of "MEDIA." By examining metaphorical expressions in press texts, the study uncovers underlying cognitive models, including media as trickery and media as a scam. Survey data reveals similar frequencies of metaphorical expressions in both languages, with 110 instances in Vietnamese and 90 in English, indicating a shared understanding of the metaphor. The analysis highlights significant parallels and distinctions in the conceptual metaphor "MEDIA IS A TRAP" between Vietnamese and English, underscoring its universal cognitive and linguistic significance. Both languages employ similar conceptual metaphorical expressions, yet exhibit subtle differences reflecting distinct cultural perspectives.

Enemy narratives

Abstract Within the fields of narratology, cognitive linguistics and discourse analysis, this article studies how “Vote Leave” – the “respectable” side of the pro-Brexit debate –, used storytelling to frame an exclusionary conception of the British nation. To do so, the article relies on a critical narrative analysis of the storytelling elements at the heart of a corpus of official documents from the 2016 campaign, and argues that those Brexit narratives were instrumental in the creation of a nativist conception of the British nation. The paper contributes to the rich literature on Brexit narratives by adopting an original approach focusing on what we call “enemy narratives” and on how this type of narratives helped construct a restrictive understanding of the British nation. The result will be correlated with the growing political polarization of post-Brexit British society and the emergence of what some researchers consider as a culture war

The Category Of Emotivity In Context Of Modern Cognitive Linguistics

This article explores the category of emotivity within the framework of modern cognitive linguistics, focusing on its anthropocentric aspects. Cognitive linguistics, often debated regarding its relevance as a field, is considered in this study through the lens of linguistic emotivity, particularly how humans process emotions in communication. The methodology builds on semiotic principles of semantics, syntax, and pragmatics to analyze emotive language's conceptual, evaluative, and functional parameters. The study delves into the interconnectedness between cognitive linguistics and pragmalinguistics, tracing its roots to historical figures like Z. Freud and E. Sepir. The research also highlights the impact of emotions on language perception and categorization, offering insights into the emotive nature of human communication.

Nahua Fasting in a Series of Don'ts: An Interpretation of the Precontact Nezahualiztli Practice

Although the precontact Nahua nezahualiztli ritual received significant coverage in historical sources, the Christian discourse of these sources misinterpreted it as either fasting or penance, inscribing nezahualiztli in the Western idea of the sacred. In order to learn more about the Nahua worldview, this article uses methods derived from philology, cognitive linguistics, and anthropology to reconstruct the meaning that nezahualiztli had for the precontact Nahua. I review numerous mentions of this ritual in the sources and discuss three examples involving nezahualiztli. I conclude that avoiding some hygienic practices, fasting, and abstaining from sex, among other forms of abstinence, allowed humans to assimilate with the deities and dead who inhabited the world beyond. The Nahua observed nezahualiztli whenever they needed to enter a liminal state, such as during funerals, travel, or creative actions. This insight adds to our understanding of the Nahua sacred, particularly the relationship between humans and gods.

An Overview of Cognitive Strategies in SLA of English in 21st Century

Cognitive linguistics scrutinizes the close relationship between the human brain, mind and SLA. Since the beginning of the 21st century, many new paradigms and approaches have emerged in this domain of SLA. Based on English as L2, this paper delves into the review in cognitive dimension from three main aspects: cognitive linguistics represented by constructional grammar, empirical cognitive science represented by neural-brain science and corpus research, as well as category and metaphor-related theories in cognitive semantics. These cognitive perspectives and strategies are interconnected and complementary, constituting a general and comprehensive sketch of new paradigms in cognitive SLA. This paper summarizes and analyzes how cognitive linguistics and cognitive science in the 21st century can provide coherent and appropriate theoretical guidance and methodological reference for the study of SLA, and meanwhile criticize and reflect on the shortcomings of the current research field and offers suggestions for future research directions.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) for Sentiment Analysis in Social Media

Purpose: This study sought to analyze Natural Language Processing (NLP) for sentiment analysis in social media. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to Natural Language Processing (NLP) for sentiment analysis in social media. Preliminary empirical review revealed that advanced computational techniques significantly advanced the understanding of sentiments across diverse social media platforms. Methodologies such as machine learning algorithms and deep learning models like CNNs and RNNs demonstrated robust capabilities in categorizing sentiments accurately and capturing contextual nuances such as sarcasm and slang. The research highlighted the interdisciplinary nature of NLP applications, integrating linguistics with computer science and social sciences to develop effective frameworks for analyzing large-scale social media data. These findings contributed to enhancing decision-making in marketing, politics, and public opinion research, pointing towards future directions in hybrid NLP models for improved sentiment analysis across different languages and cultural contexts. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Social Constructionism, Cognitive Linguistics and Discourse Analysis Theory may be used to anchor future studies on Natural Language Processing (NLP). The recommendations aimed to advance theoretical foundations by exploring deep learning models and nuanced sentiment lexicons. Practical applications were enhanced through the development of scalable NLP tools for real-time data processing and integration into social media platforms. Policy implications focused on establishing ethical guidelines for data privacy and bias mitigation in sentiment analysis algorithms. Cross-disciplinary collaboration fostered innovation by integrating insights from computer science, linguistics, psychology, and social sciences. Education initiatives and international collaborations were prioritized to build capacity and standardize methodologies globally, ensuring advancements in both research and practical deployment of sentiment analysis technologies.

An Analysis on Aspects Representation in Cultural Contents 〈Yuexialaoren〉 through Cognitive Linguistics

An Analysis on Aspects Representation in Cultural Contents 〈Yuexialaoren〉 through Cognitive Linguistics

The Application of Embodied Cognitive Linguistics in the English Translation of Two-Part Allegorical Saying—An Analysis of Examples From A Dream of Red Mansions

The Application of Embodied Cognitive Linguistics in the English Translation of Two-Part Allegorical Saying—An Analysis of Examples From A Dream of Red Mansions

Patterns of Thematic Progression Analysis of Abstracts in Cognitive Linguistics Journals

Patterns of Thematic Progression Analysis of Abstracts in Cognitive Linguistics Journals

The grammar and meaning of atemporal complement clauses in Assamese: A cognitive linguistics approach

The grammar and meaning of atemporal complement clauses in Assamese: A cognitive linguistics approach

Research on the Global Communication of Traditional Chinese Medicine from the Perspective of Cognitive Linguistics

Chinese medicine is one of the important traditional cultures of the Chinese nation, a typical representative of the unique wisdom of the nation, and an influential worldwide cultural label of the country. In this paper, the theory of Cognitive Linguistics is used to enhance the depth of cultural communication of traditional Chinese medicine, to make up for the shortcomings of single language, mode and means in the communication research of traditional Chinese medicine at home and abroad, and to provide innovative research routes for the communication of traditional Chinese medicine at home and abroad, such as cognitive neuroscience and artificial intelligence big data, which conform to the development of the times. From a practical point of view, it will provide solutions for the internal and external communication of Chinese medicine more empirically and scientifically, and more effectively promote the Chinese medicine culture to take root in the local area and go global. Especially, it will gain the recognition of the younger generation who are good at obtaining information from new media through high-quality audio-visual translation products of Chinese medicine, so as to build a human health community with Chinese medicine as an important part.

KOMPÜTER TERMİNLƏRİNİN METAFORİKLƏŞMƏSİ

Metaphorization of Computer Terms Summary In the process of forming computer terms, metaphorization occurs at different levels. The productivity of a particular method of term formation is determined by the features of a computer terminological system. Numerous linguistic facts show that a model based on existing similarities, including similarities in external features and functions, plays an important role in the formation of computer terms. Key words: cognitive linguistics, metaphor, computer term, word formation, metaphorical transfer

Secondary storyworld possible selves: narrative response and cultural (un)predictability

Abstract Narrative experiencers frequently report broadly differing narrative responses. Literary scholarship customarily addresses those shared by communities of readers as pertaining to implied and rhetorical readers. However, empirical reader-response research shows that flesh-and-blood readers and audience members often show idiosyncratic narrative responses based on individual experience. Storyworld Possible Selves Theory (Martínez 2014. Storyworld possible selves and the phenomenon of narrative immersion: Testing a new theoretical construct. Narrative 22(1). 110–131, 2018. Storyworld possible selves. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter) provides an analytical toolkit for the study of both culturally predictable and completely individual responses to narratives, drawing on the frameworks of cognitive narratology, cognitive linguistics, and social psychology. This study discusses the affordances and shortcomings of this framework when addressing the bearing of hegemonic cultural models on narrative response and introduces the concept of “secondary storyworld possible selves” to account for responses predictable in communities sharing non-hegemonic cultural models. This renders cultural (un)predictability as a graded category and facilitates its qualitative and quantitative exploration.

Semantically Equivalent Representatives of the Concept “Custom/Adat” in Russian and Kyrgyz Languages

This paper conducts a semantic study of the concept “custom/adat” and its representatives in the Russian and Kyrgyz languages. The conceptual content of the concept “custom/adat” is determined based on the study of relevant articles in explanatory, translated (bilingual), cultural, encyclopedic and other dictionaries. An analysis of Russian and Kyrgyz linguistic units denoting customs, rites, ceremonies and other elements of traditional practice of ethnic groups has been carried out. The study identifies the semantic dominant that organizes the functional-semantic field “custom”; in this regard, some central and peripheral nominees of the concept “custom” are identified and characterized on the basis of the lexicographic, literary, artistic, colloquial and folklore spaces of the two languages ​​being compared. The unity and differences in the linguoethnocultural ideas of native speakers of the Russian and Kyrgyz languages ​​about custom, its types and manifestations are shown, and explicit and implicit types of its nominees are identified. This work fills a small gap in the branches of linguistics that are actively developing in Kyrgyzstan — in cognitive linguistics, ethnolinguistics, linguoculturology, linguistic conceptology and the theory of intercultural communication.

Good and Evil Ethical Concepts in the Linguistic Picture of the World of Kyrgyz

This article analyses actual problems of cognitive linguistics, intensively developing linguistic direction since the 80s of the XX century. The study concisely conducted a scientific and theoretical analysis of cognitivism, the object of the study of which becomes the human mind, thinking and mental processes. The formation of a concept as a basic concept of cognitive linguistics is connected with cognitive activity, world perception of a person. The concept as a result of national linguo culture reflects national, spiritual and cultural values in the linguistic picture of the world of any ethnic group. It is noted that language is a manifestation of cognitive processes, “activity of the mind” is studied on the material of language i.e. language means. The article is devoted to the analysis of ethical concepts “good” and “evil” in the language consciousness of the Kyrgyz people. It is noted that the key tokens are good and evil. The study is conducted on the material of analysis of lexical meanings of linguistic units with morphemes: zhakshy, zhaman, Kyrgyz proverb, a passage from the Epic of Manas, consisting of opposition “good” and “evil”. The article briefly describes the essence of the philosophy of good and evil of the Kyrgyz people, which reflects humanistic ideas, moral and ethical, national values, ethnic peculiarities of mentality of the Kyrgyz people. In them, good stands for love, good, success, faith, hope, honor and dignity, a sense of duty, and evil is manifested in destruction, greedy profligacy, slyness, anger, etc. The study notes that the conceptual part of the structure of concepts “good” and “evil” is “multiple and complex, as they use figurative expressions, which include purely personal perception, linguistic mentality and means of artistic expression. It has been determined that the moral and ethical concepts of “good” and “evil” are a neglected topic in Kyrgyz linguistics. They have a special place in the linguistic consciousness of the Kyrgyz people and require further in-depth study.

LEXICO-SEMANTIC FIELDS OF THE CONCEPTUAL SPHERE "UKRAINE" IN THE SONG DISCOURSE DURING THE RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN WAR

In the proposed article, we address one of the directions of modern linguistic research — cognitive linguistics. The aim of the study is to identify and analyze the linguistic means of representing the lexico-semantic field of the conceptual sphere "UKRAINE" based on the material of the song discourse during the Russian-Ukrainian war. The object of the study is the conceptual sphere "UKRAINE", and the subject of the study is the lexico-semantic field of the conceptual sphere "UKRAINE" in Ukrainian-language song discourse. To achieve this goal, the study employs the methods of linguoconceptual and contextual analysis of texts, as well as the method of field modeling. Based on 218 lexical units from the texts of 20 Ukrainian songs, three structural segments of the lexico-semantic fields of the conceptual sphere "UKRAINE" were identified: "UKRAINE — SPACE", "UKRAINE — SPIRITUAL VALUES", "UKRAINE — WAR". Within each LSF, lexico-semantic groups were formed, the largest of which were the LSG "Markers of Ukraine’s Consolidation" (present in 16% of the concepts of the conceptual sphere Ukraine) and the LSG "Defender" (present in 26% of the concepts of the conceptual sphere Ukraine). The core-periphery organization of the main components of the conceptual sphere "UKRAINE" in the song discourse of 2022-2024 was determined: the core consists of the lexemes "MOTHER" and "WARRIORS’ VICTORY". The author concludes that the multidimensional semantics of the conceptual sphere "UKRAINE" is represented through a significant number of components that change with the transformation of societal consciousness. In times of national danger, a transformation in the core structure of the conceptual sphere "UKRAINE" is observed: from conceptualvalue concepts to value-perceptive concepts. In the conceptual sphere "UKRAINE", the semantic meanings "country" and "independent state" are consistently actualized, but due to changes in societal consciousness, the conceptual sphere acquires new meanings: Ukraine as a special way of being; Ukraine as a sacred space, Ukraine as a metaphysical person — mother. The new reality dictates new nominations, leading to the emergence of new lexico-semantic features in the composition of the conceptual sphere "UKRAINE": UKRAINE — THE HIGHEST VALUE; UKRAINE — A SYNONYM FOR FREEDOM; UKRAINE — UNITY, BROTHERHOOD; UKRAINE — VICTORY. The prospect of the research lies in further exploration of the lexico-semantic field of the conceptual sphere "UKRAINE" in Ukrainian song discourse, considering that songs, as an important component of any ethnic culture, are a significant factor in global processes in their historical, cultural, and linguistic dimensions. The conceptual sphere, as a cognitive structure of human knowledge about the world, is characterized by special dynamism, because each historical period in the life of a people brings corresponding changes to its structure, so the number of lexico-semantic fields in the conceptual sphere "UKRAINE" can be changed and supplemented.

SEMANTIC SPACE OF THE UNIVERSAL MORAL AND ETHICAL CONCEPT ЖАЛІСТЬ/SYMPATHY

The paper deals with the study of the concept ЖАЛІСТЬ/SYMPATHY in Ukrainian and English languages which can be considered rather relevant for the present-day political, economic, social and educational situation in Ukraine because it is the universal, moral and ethical emotion concept which is utilised as the element of war professional propaganda via specific formats and technologies to deliver social and political impact and manipulation on the existing system of social and political views and outlooks. The concept was selected as the basic unit for the analysis because it is defined as the operational memory unit, the mental entity, the result of knowledge objectivisation. Moreover, as the concept functioning relates to specific national context and particular conditions of society existence, it can express its semantic potential and adapt it in accordance with the existing value priorities at a particular stage of society development and cause purposeful influence or even manipulation on its members. The comparison of the semantic spaces of the universal moral and ethical concept ЖАЛІСТЬ/SYMPATHY in Ukrainian and English languages has revealed the fact that this mental unit is determined as important in moral and ethical paradigms in the both languages because it it is stipulated for the basic human antithesis "good/evil". In Ukrainian it relates, to more extent, to emotional feature of moral, ethical value of both humans and any living creatures implying the desire to introduce not only love, pity, weal for others and even an element of empathy. In English it also expresses spontaneous irrational emotional response to any misfortune or disaster, but, at the same time, implies the pragmatic decision-making to render some practical assistance. The results of the study can be used for teaching semiotics, cognitive linguistics or PR technologies.