cognitive semantics

A SEMANTIC theory, part of COGNITIVE grammar, which identifies MEANING with conceptualization – the structures and processes which are part of mental experience. The theory stresses the importance of bodily experience in concepualization. It operates with an encyclopedic view of meaning, not recognizing a clear boundary between linguistic and general knowledge. LEXICAL ITEMS, which act as pointers or triggers for encyclopedic knowledge, are therefore typically POLYSEMOUS, and analyzed as a network of related SENSES. The theory identifies a number of processes such as METAPHOR and METONYMY as general cognitive processes rather than purely linguistic devices. A central notion is how a conceptual content is ‘construed’: the construal of a lexical item depends on several factors, including the ‘cognitive domains’ in which it appears (e.g. space, time, color) and variations in perspective and salience.