Cognitive Linguistics Research Articles

The Semantic Analysis of TOWARDS from the Perspective of Cognitive Linguistics

The utilization of language has contributed to the imperative need for comprehension, selection, and articulation of the semantics of words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, etc. Indeed, meaning serves as an abstract entity within linguistic expressions, embodying the objects and phenomena of the world. Language signals are derived from human cognition, reflecting individuals' perceptions of the surrounding world. The evolution of cognition is intricately intertwined with and propels the advancement of the conceptual system and semantics, consequently impacting the content and structure of the language system. This article conducts an analysis of the semantic network of the preposition towards in Arthur Conan Doyle's The Complete Sherlock Holmes through cognitive perspective, encompassing spatial and non-spatial connotations. A quantitative method has been employed in this research endeavor to examine the meanings of this preposition. Subsequently, a limited-scale semantic network was established based on the findings. Furthermore, the result of this research can be used as a prototype for subsequent investigations.

The Stylistic Nature of the Theory of Foregrounding in the Literary Text

The theory of foregrounding plays an integral part in the way a reader perceives and decodes linguistic expression, whereas construal process allows for dynamic categorization and portrayal of a situation with the help of a big diversity of linguistic means. By means of classification of construing phenomena, scholars identified key dimensions such as attention, judgment, perspective and constitution, elucidating intricate mechanisms of comprehension and expression of language. The article touches on two types of saliencies in cognitive linguistics such as cognitive and ontological salience. It also underscores Langacker’s notion of “entrenchment” and investigates the concepts of communicative salience, gearing towards profiling and trajectory / landmark alignment to set forth how attention is directed in linguistic expressions. The article examines the theory of foregrounding in cognitive linguistics and its correlation with construal operation. It sheds light on how language shapers perception and categorization of situation, participants and their features through a wide range of construal phenomenon. The article dives into various classifications and subcategories of construal phenomenon, highlighting the way attention, judgment, perspective and constitution play a part in language input and output. The article sets forth complex interplay of language, cognitive operations and salience, in particular within the framework of cognitive linguistics. The article investigates how language means and structures contribute to the foregrounding of prominent conceptual elements and decoding scenes and situations. The scientific work explores a wide range of notions of salience in literary analysis, primarily focusing on Leech and Short’s concepts of literary relevance, psychological prominence and statistical deviance. The article delves into the way these notions cooperate with one another and contribute to subjective recognition of style in literary texts. Moreover, it explores the role of figure and ground in the theory of foregrounding emphasizing how original and striking linguistic means, or “figures” stand out from conventional linguistic elements, aka. “ground” contributing to actualization and creative presentation of the world in literature. Overall, the scientific article emphasizes dynamic process of stylistic analysis and the function of literature in presenting the world in a novel and creative manner.

Stany depresyjne młodych matek a konceptualizacje macierzyństwa

The article analyses selected posts published by young mothers in two private Facebook groups entitled Noworodki, niemowlaki, dzieci – wymiana doświadczeń (Newborns, toddlers, children – sharing experiences) and Karmienie piersią i między karmieniami (Breastfeeding and between feedings). The issue influencing the analysis is conceptualisation which is one of the basic concepts in cognitive linguistics. The result of linguistic reflection is the observation of ways for conceptualising motherhood that are associated with psychophysical problems and depressive states of women in the perinatal period. Due to the thematic and temporal scope of the material, 45 entries published in 2022 and 2023 concerning the most difficult experiences were described. The collected examples were assigned to one of six distinguished conceptualisations, each related to the poor psychophysical condition of mothers.

Cognitive rhetoric in super sports reporting: unveiling perspectives through multilevel analysis of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics from five international media outlets

ABSTRACT This study utilizes the Event-Domain Cognitive Model (ECM) within cognitive linguistics to analyze narrative construction in international news media coverage of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Through qualitative analysis of 1673 news articles from five diverse media outlets, the research outlines a multilevel cognitive rhetoric framework to explore the integration of cultural, historical, and emotional factors in media discourse. At the macro level, cultural and historical contexts influence the selection of event subdomains. At the meso level, cognitive reference points shape portrayals of international diplomacy. At the micro level, rhetorical strategies, especially metaphorical language, reveal media knowledge structures and emotional responses. The study highlights the media's dual role in reinforcing shared humanistic values and exposing geopolitical rivalries. Findings indicate the Olympics as a global stage for uniting cultures through common values and manifesting political and ideological differences, with varying narratives reflecting each outlet's cultural and political context. The study underscores the importance of cross-cultural media literacy to develop a critically aware public and contributes to international media studies, cognitive linguistics, and communication by providing a comprehensive model for analyzing media narratives and encouraging further research into global media events.

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.