Cognitive Linguistics Research Articles

Embodiment of language: theories, controversies and perspectives

Systematising advances of modern cognitive science I put forward a hypothesis that language functioning (in a situation of communication, ontogenesis and phylogenesis) is made possible due to intersubjective perceiving-feeling-understanding cross- and multimodal bodily experience which is a product of interiorising primarily iconic and indexical communicative interactions about different objects of perception in diverse situational contexts. The object of analysis is the nature of interrelation between the form, meaning and referent of a linguistic structure and its objective is explanation of this interrelation by different approaches of cognitive linguistics. On the grounds of the analysis of image-schemas as prospective experiential basis of language embodiment, I conclude that image-schemas are an instrument of individual cognition since they are covertly enacted representations and cannot be intersubjectively shared. I suggest that image-schemas are formed on the basis of overtly enacted mimetic schemas, which insures interiorisation of intersubjectively accessible bodily experience and creates the junction-point between the imitative (iconic) and the representational (symbolic). I claim that language can only be understood in the context of communication where the verbal action is an integral part of the communicative action enacted by multimodal means of exteriorising inner semantic-pragmatic structures – auditory (speech, intonation) and visual (facial expressions, articulation gestures, hand gestures, bodily movements) that function as intersubjectively accessible iconic and indexical scaffolding of meaning-making.

Reception of the political news narratives in readers’ responses: multimodality and intertextuality

Developed in the field of international relations, the theory of the strategic narrative (Miskimmon et al., 2013; 2017 among others) identifies it as a means for political actors to construct a shared meaning of international politics, and to shape the perceptions, beliefs, and behaviour of domestic and international actors. The authors of the theory maintain that the explanation of the workings of the strategic narrative presumes the study of its formation, projection, and reception. Such explanation brings together various scholarly fields aimed at the search of the lacking methodology that demonstrates how the formation, projection, and reception aspects of the strategic narrative work together as a triptych. The proposed article approaches this problem from the perspective of cognitive linguistics that studies conceptual grounds for verbally delivered information. The article forwards and tests a novel methodological framework, which posits a cognitive ontology of the information, featured verbally and visually, as the feasible grounds for tracking regularities in the simultaneous dynamics of the three narrative aspects. The article focuses on the projection / reception narrative aspects, represented in a media news text and the readers’ responses to it – the issue relevant for the linguistic field of intertextuality. Methodologically and thematically, the article continues the previous research (Zhabotynska & Velivchenko, 2019; Zhabotynska & Ryzhova, 2022; Chaban et al. 2023; Chaban et al. 2024 among others) of the formation / projection aspects of the strategic narrative featured in a news media text.

THE SEMANTIC NATURE OF COGNITIVE METAPHOR IN KAZAKH FOLK LYRICS

A metaphor is a linguistic tool used to express ideas or concepts through comparison with something else. The use of metaphor has been a consistent feature of poetry throughout history. Our article examines the semantic nature of cognitive metaphor in Kazakh folk lyrics. In the work The Word of Ancestors, which serves as the object of this research, it is emphasized that the linguistic units defining the cognitive metaphor are embedded in the national worldview. Analyzed how metaphors were used in the work “The Word of Ancestors”, researchers gain a deep understanding of how the human brain processes and interprets language. Our article employs methods such as literary analysis and cognitive linguistics. As a result, the study of the semantics of cognitive metaphor in Kazakh lyrics gives an idea of the cognitive processes associated with metaphorical thinking and the use of language. The main purpose of our article is to identify the semantic nature of cognitive metaphor in the language of Kazakh folk lyrics. The frames reflecting the existence and vital activity of the Kazakh people are analyzed. In addition, the transfer of cognitive metaphors through scenario and schematic structures and images revealing their meaning was identified and analyzed. The types of stable and individualized metaphors, epithet and comparative metaphors, cognitive metaphors were identified, examples were given and we tried to analyze them. The theoretical results of the work can be used in such courses as Cognitive Linguistics, Ethnolinguistics, Linguistics, Text Linguistics. It can also be used as an auxiliary material for practical classes on the subjects of “Stylistics and linguistic culture”, linguistic analysis of a literary text.

Динамические изменения концепта любовь в современных коммуникативных жанрах (на материале интернет-коммуникации)

Abstract This article is devoted to studying the changes in concept ‘love’ and the specifics of its functioning in the modern Russian communicative environment. The Aim of the paper is to study the conceptual use dynamics in new contexts (Internet communication) and the main usage features of the concept ‘love’ in different genres. Met¬ho¬do¬logy and re¬se¬arch met¬hods: analyses the semantic filling, semantic volume, and linguistic explication, approved in the PhD theses conducted by the Nizhny Novgorod scientific school in cognitive linguistics; linguistic observation and discourse analysis methods; comparison, description; Internet monitoring. Results. As a result of the research, it was established that changes in the usage value for concept ‘love’ are connected with the family relations structure development and new connections between the concepts ‘love’ and ‘sex’; we listed the forms of concept ‘love’ manifestation, traced dynamics in word ‘love’ usage at lexico-semantic and lexico-phraseological levels both in the Soviet period and in modern times. Scientific novelty. In addition to new concept manifestations in a vibrant online network discourse environment, attention is paid to and texts including creolised forms are analysed. The practical significance of the study consists mainly of the fact that the obtained results can be used as reference material for various current studies in communicative and discourse analysis.

Способы дипломатических отношений: когнитивнокоммуникативный подход (на материале современного английского языка)

e linguistic study of diplomatic relations is a complex problem, which is considered by representatives of different scientific schools, with their own research perspectives. The databases of scientific literature contain materials on communicative linguistics, language theory, cognitive linguistics and other disciplines that form the basis for modern research in this field. The purpose of the work is to consider the methods of diplomatic relations from the standpoint of a cognitive-communicative approach in modern English. The stated approach involves studying the structures of knowledge about diplomatic relations in correlation with the means of their representation in communication processes. Based on an extensive selection of scientific literature and dictionaries, a conceptual and definitional analysis has been carried out to determine the structure of the DIPLOMACY concept. There have been singled out both central (SKILL, RELATIONS, CONDUCT) and non-central characteristics (NEGOTIATION, MANAGE, TACT, etc.) The classification criteria have been identified with the sources of factual material reflecting 30 ways of diplomatic relations. The data on the types of diplomacy have been presented in accordance with the highlighted conceptual characteristics. In the future, the results of the study will be used to describe the interpretation of diplomatic relations in the context of various conceptual areas. It is also promising to study the cognitive models underlying the structures of knowledge about the methods of diplomatic relations, as well as to determine the cognitive and linguistic mechanisms of secondary interpretation of diplomatic relations in English. The applied aspect is the systematization of linguistic means of representation of diplomatic relations in communication.

An approach to the term 'feminazi' as a result of the amalgamation arising from the hate speech promoted against the feminist movement. A perspective from cognitive linguistics.

El feminismo como movimiento ha estado constantemente sujeto a críticas y señalamientos reaccionarios, dando como resultado, entre otros elementos, términos como feminazi. Por lo tanto, se ha realizado una investigación documental en la que se aborda el ya mencionado vocablo desde la teoría de fusión conceptual de la Lingüística Cognitiva. Fueron examinados diversos planteamientos teóricos con el fin de sustentar la idea central establecida en el artículo, concluyendo que se considera la palabra feminazi como el resultado de una amalgama conceptual que surge a partir del discurso de odio en contra del movimiento feminista.

Animalistic Vocabulary in Animal Tales

The article is devoted to consideration of animalistic vocabulary in Kazakh and English. The purpose is to consider animalistic vocabulary based on Kazakh and English animal tales from the linguocultural and comparative aspects. Despite the universality of animalistic vocabulary, research in this area is limited. Animalistic vocabulary reflects the relationship between language and culture, linguocultural information related to the way of life, traditions, and beliefs of the Kazakh and English peoples. The article identifies similarities and differences in animalistic vocabulary in Kazakh and English. As part of our research methodology, comparative and linguocultural analysis of lexical units from English fairy tales about animals and their counterparts in Kazakh was carried out. Fairy tales about animals were collected in both languages, the meaning of animal-related vocabulary was identified, and their shared and unique cultural characteristics were analyzed. As a result, ethnocultural codes unique to a particular nation were identified and analyzed. It has been observed that the accumulated human experience is determined in culture by various character systems. The scientific value of the article is determined from the linguistic and cultural points of view on the world perception and cognition problem based on animalistic vocabulary. The results of the study can be practically used in preparation of such courses as fairy tale discourse, and cognitive linguistics.

Փոխաբերության ճանաչողական էությունը

Metaphors by their complex semantic structure never cease to attract the attention of linguists, philologists and literary scholars and are often found as central objects of examination in different studies. In the course of the development of science, metaphors having not only linguistic nature but also being phenomena expressing peculiarities of mental processes, have been studied in the fields of psychology, cognitive science, cognitive linguistics. The fact that metaphors are omnipresent serves as a reason for their study not only for the purpose of examining imaginative language and speech elements typical of the works of fiction but also for the exploration and description of human psychological portrait and understanding. In the present article an attempt is made to clarify and examine the essence of metaphors as well as the psychological and cognitive motives for their creation. From a psychological perspective, the object of examination consists in the explanation of the nature of metaphor emergence in human brain. The cognitive peculiarities of their mechanism of operation are presented in the article as well. With the objective of accomplishing a comprehensive and profound examination of metaphors, the consideration of the achievements in the fields of psychology and conginitive science, i.e. adherence to inter-disciplinary approach, which implies application of the well-defined principles of both linguistics and other sciences, is essentially important and topical.

Precedent Phenomena as a Means of Event Representation in the English Language Media Discourse

Precedent phenomena act as a tool of informing and influencing the addressee in the media space. The aim of the article is to examine the functioning of precedent phenomena as a means of representing current events in media discourse. The relevance of the research is determined by the widespread use of precedent phenomena in mass media. Concepts of precedent phenomena represent a mental image of a stereotypical situation, which reflects the results of human cognition of the surrounding reality. In modern media texts, the peripheral layer is transformed under the influence of the extralinguistic context, while the nuclear layer of the conceptual component of the concept remains unchanged. The value and figurative (metaphorical) components of precedent phenomena related to associations at the diachronic level contribute to the expansion of the notional component of the concept when representing current events at the synchronic level. The article proposes an algorithm for the study of the verbalized concepts “fifth column”, “great game”, “iron curtain”, “cold war”, “road map”, “Pearl Harbor”, which, in the form of perception invariants, are included in the cognitive base of most linguistic and cultural communities. The sources of the research material were the texts of the quality English language press in the period of 2022-2023. To accomplish the task, the following methods are applied: discourse analysis, cognitive analysis, and diachronic analysis. The discourse analysis explicates the meaning of the precedent phenomenon at the synchronic level, taking into account nonlinguistic factors (political and socio-cultural context). Cognitive analysis defines the value component of the concept, which includes subjective modalities (axiological, emotive, deontic). An axiological modality is a rational (positive or negative) assessment of an event. Emotional evaluation is the result of a sensual reaction to a fragment of the world around. The deontic modality is connected with the normative worldview of the society that regulates the behavior of people in the community and the interaction of states in the global world. Diachronic analysis reveals the origin of the precedent phenomenon and defines its value and figurative (metaphorical) aspects, as well as the core layer of the concept. The proposed algorithm of analyzing verbalized concepts can be helpful for professionals in the field of cognitive linguistics, media linguistics, and political linguistics. The investigated precedent phenomena as dynamically evolving and transforming concepts may be of interest for further detailed study.

The role of linguistic influence in pedagogical influence

Introduction. Pedagogical activity always implies influences on people aiming to help the student internalize the basic meanings of culture. One cannot make a person understand these basic cultural meanings, transmit culture without a language. The absence of research on the verbal side of pedagogical activity explains a contradiction between the increased requirements for the professional competence of teachers and the lack of effective tools for creating and analyzing the teacher’s speech. The paper suggests to solve this problem from the positions of pedagogical semiology and cognitive linguistics. The purpose of this paper is to consider the theoretical foundations of verbal pedagogical influence in a transdisciplinary perspective.Materials and Methods. The comparative analysis, the content analysis, the method of interpretation and contextual analysis. Results. The major function of education is to translate knowledge about the world where people live and function. It became possible in the pedagogical communication due to the unique role of language. The totality of values, personality norms, knowledge, views, etc. is initially formed as a result of the language influence on people. The realization of language influence is possible due to the biological predisposition of a person to acquire the language. Then the pedagogical influence can be presented as a complex of the language influence and receptivity, readiness to exercise this influence. In addition education is possible due to the human ability to imitate.Discussion and Conclusions. Understanding the purpose of education as the translation of basic cultural meanings, and language as the main means for their realization, we consider language influence as one of the main influences that makes a person a bearer of human qualities proper. The essence of pedagogical influence is that the teacher conveys to students the basic meanings of culture by language influence, and make them rooted in culture with the help of the inherent imitation. Thus, as a result of the presented research, we managed for the first time to develop an understanding of verbal pedagogical influence and its essence. The whole educational process is based on verbal influence and imitation. The presented paper is the part of semiological research on the understanding that the source of the content of education and upbringing is culture; the teacher is a carrier of cultural values and meanings, which are transmitted by means of language; the teacher has a key role in ensuring the students' entry into the world of culture.

A Bayesian approach to (re)examining learning effects of cognitive linguistics–inspired instruction – CORRIGENDUM

A Bayesian approach to (re)examining learning effects of cognitive linguistics<i>–</i>inspired instruction – CORRIGENDUM

The Coalition of the Willing and Pro-NATOism: Russia–Ukraine Anti-war Discourse

NATO ideology, or NATOism, has been part of American and European political agendas for decades. This ideology remapped the unipolar ruling system represented by the United States. However, NATOism not only prompts an identity of self-belonging and appreciation in pro-NATO states for a union of military and security cooperation, but also incites alarming panic and apprehension in anti-NATO countries by triggering an unconscious survival-of-the-fittest race. The world is now experiencing both of these conditions, discursively reformulated by political elites. The current study applies a multidisciplinary approach to the analysis of NATO discourse and its effect on creating unipolar coalitions. The methods of discourse analysis, corpus linguistics and cognitive linguistics were employed in the analysis of Joe Biden’s speeches in order to uncover his role in constructing pro-NATO ideology within international relations, and the ways in which the Russia-Ukraine war has decontextualized the mental structure of NATO identity. The results revealed that certain discourse strategies were inextricably linked in constructing a coalition of the willing against Russian hostility.

Вербализация концепта «красота» во фразеологических единицах и паремиях эрзянского и финского языков

The growing interest in concepts in cognitive linguistics highlights the relevance of studying the concepts of beauty in different cultures. The purpose of the article is to study the semantic features of the expression of this concept in the Erzya and Finnish languages based on a comparative analysis of phraseological units and paroemias. The concept of beauty is universal, and its perception and evaluation vary depending on cultural and social factors, which makes its analysis important for understanding the worldview of two distant peoples. The material for the study was phraseological units and paroemias representing the concept of &amp;quot;beauty&amp;quot;, obtained as a result of using the continuous sampling method from specialized dictionaries and collections. The study showed that the verbalization of beauty in the analyzed languages reflects a multifaceted attitude to this concept. Based on a common semantic feature, we have identified four groups of phraseological units and paroemias describing external and internal beauty, deceptive properties of beauty, as well as a critical attitude to appearance. The etymological analysis of the basic lexemes was also carried out during the study. The article demonstrates that the concepts of beauty in the Erzya and Finnish languages not only differ, but also illustrate the unique cultural values of the two peoples. The results of the work can be useful for teaching Finno-Ugric languages, as well as for ethnolinguistic research and intercultural communication.

SEMANTIC DERIVATION OF APPLIED GEOMETRY TERMS IN KAZAKH LANGUAGE

This article considers the semantic derivation of applied geometry terms in Kazakh language. The actuality of the topic is conditioned by the fact that in spite of rather extensive research in the field of semantic derivation of both lexicon in general and terms of various sciences, the problem of semantic derivation in the sphere of terms of applied geometry in Kazakh language has not been devoted to special works. The aim of our research is to study the terms-metaphors of applied geometry in terms of semantic derivation, to determine the change in the scope of meaning of applied geometry terms depending on their transition from the common language to the branch terminology, and vice versa the transition of terms into the common language. The article defines the term «semantic derivation» and briefly describes the history of the development of this phenomenon in linguistics. Special attention is paid to the modern consideration of the issue of semantic derivation from the perspective of cognitive linguistics. The perspective of this study lies in the fact that these metaphorical terms are able to express the connection between the language of the nation and the language of science by means of certain images and associations that are inherent of metaphor. As a result of research in this area, it was concluded that semantic derivation is the volume of the most productive way of word formation in the field of applied geometry terms. Cognitive approach to semantic derivation of applied geometry terms, which is based on the idea that the human conceptual system is metaphorical in its essence and is reflected not only in language, but also in thinking processes.

Critical Cognitive Linguistics, by Zhang Hui &amp; Zhang Tianwei

Critical Cognitive Linguistics, by Zhang Hui &amp; Zhang Tianwei

MODEL OF MULTIMODAL LANGUAGE PERSONALITY OF THE INTERPRETER: NON-VERBAL ASPECT

The present article is devoted to the problem of multimodality research in the complex study of interpreter’s linguistic personality. Topicality of the article is conditioned by modern requirements to the level of interpreter competences, including multimodal interaction (remote interpreting, online interpreting of interviews, presentations, conferences, relay interpreting, etc.). The purpose of this paper is to create a model of multimodal linguistic personality and to describe the modality channels from the perspective of the interpreter’s nonverbal behaviour. The novelty of the research is considering the interpreter as a multimodal linguistic personality and identifying non-obvious channels of modality. The author considers the views of Russian and foreign researchers on understanding the nature of multimodality and the problem of its study. During the evaluative-critical analysis the author studies and describes the functional side of perceptual channels (modalities). The first stage of the study includes linguo-cognitive analysis and observation of non-verbal behaviour (kinesics, oculesics, prosodics) of the interpreters. Based on the results of the evaluation of the non-verbal behaviorur of the interpreter’s linguistic personality, the author analyses the following perceptual channels: extra-linguistic components of communication, the environment, the non-verbal behaviour, the means of input and output of information. As a result of the second stage, the classification of perceptual channels in the situation of simultaneous interpreting is presented. Taking into account the integration of the data, the researcher proposes a model of multimodal linguistic personality of the interpreter. The results of the study enrich the understanding of the problem of multimodality and contribute to the in-depth study of professional linguistic personality. The author outlines the prospects for further research on multimodality from the perspective of cognitive linguistics and non-verbal semiotics.

A REVIEW OF CONCEPTUAL METONYMY - METHODS, THEORY AND DESCRIPTION

This paper systematically reviews the main content and academic contributions of Conceptual Metonymy - Methods, Theory and Description. As Volume 60 of the "Human Cognitive Processing" series, this book collects research findings on metonymy from the 12th International Cognitive Linguistics Conference. Through detailed analysis, this paper highlights the book's significant value in several aspects: First, the metonymy corpus and its 14-field description system established by Barcelona's team laid the methodological foundation for metonymy typology research; Second, the book's in-depth discussion of metonymy properties reveals characteristics such as the contingency and indexicality of metonymic reasoning, as well as the dual role of metonymic source in conceptual integration; Third, through multilingual empirical research, it demonstrates the universality of metonymy in constructional development, emotion construction, lexical morphological changes, and sign language construction, while highlighting metonymy's emotional, evaluative and social functions. This book not only advances the theoretical depth of metonymy research but also points out directions for future research, such as metonymy inhibiting factors and cross-linguistic metonymic features that still require further exploration. KEYWORDS: conceptual metonymy; metonymy corpus; metonymy properties; metonymic reasoning; pragmatic rhetorical functions; cognitive linguistics

Лингвотопологическое моделирование процесса перевода: к общим основаниям

Cognitive research in translation is currently at its peak. The authors studied L. V. Kushnina’s synergetic concept of translation space in an interaction with the topological fields of translation to develop a linguistic topological model of translation as a process. The analysis yielded graphic constructs represented by topologically structured spaces that illustrate the process of interlingual and intercultural interaction. The research relied on P. A. Florensky’s idea of the language of spatial objects and the provisions of philological and translation topology developed by L. V. Polubichenko, who studied the variant vs. invariant patterns of different philological objects, from words to texts. The current Chinese translation studies show similar ideas (see: Wu Dan, Ding Xiuhei, Zhao Genglin, Jiang Shengnan, etc.). The article visualizes the modern translation paradigm from the perspective of linguistic topology. Translation is a multifunctional verbal and mental activity that unites various objects in the spaces between the sender, the translator, and the recipient. The resulting topological translation model represents the linguistic topology of interlingual communication at the intersection of cognitive topology, linguistics, translation theory and practice, and cognitive translation studies.

YouVersion verses-of-the-year in relation to Afrikaans prepositional met and van constructions expressing fear and loneliness

How do the 2022 YouVersion Bible verses-of-theyear reflect the way in which fear and loneliness were communicated via prepositional phrases that year? The associated objectives of this article are to compare Afrikaans met and van prepositional constructions expressing fear and loneliness in 2022 in two print books with the top 2022 YouVersion Bible verses; to establish how met and van relate to other prepositions in this regard, and to determine how these related prepositional constructions can expand a trauma-informed gradient of uses. This article considers Afrikaans met (with) and van (of) prepositional constructions expressing fear and loneliness in a subset of a corpus of such constructions produced in 2022. The Cognitive Linguistics analysis of the prepositional constructions centres on them as asymmetrical constructions on a spatiotemporal continuum of use in relation to the human body.

BRITAIN’S STRIVING FOR GREATNESS:ITS REFLECTION IN LANGUAGE AND POLITICS

This paper is an interdisciplinary study of British political discourse. It attempts to examine how British greatness emerged and developed over the centuries. Changes in the official use of British terminology are highlighted as a reflection of dwindling historical greatness: the British Empire &gt; The British Commonwealth (1931); The British Commonwealth &gt; The Commonwealth (1949); Great Britain &gt; Britain (UK for short). The idea of British greatness flourished during the Brexit period (2016–2020). Special attention is paid to stylistic changes in Brexit discourses, reflecting political events and developments. My analysis discloses the role of frequent creative use of phraseological units, e. g., a leap in the dark, to eat one’s cake and have it, to kick the can down the road etc. It offers insight into sustained creative use of metaphor as a reflection of painful and tortuous processes. I rely on findings of cognitive linguistics on thought and language [Gibbs 1999: 16–23].This paper aims to explore the notion of British greatness, its origin and development over centuries, and the role it has played in Brexit-related events and processes. The study focuses on the interplay of history, politics and language, illustrating how figurative expressions are ingrained in a nation’s cultural fabric and linguistic landscape.