How conceptual blending construct meaning 1

How conceptual blending construct meaning

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 How conceptual blending construct meaning 2

Introduction

Conceptual blending means a simple mental operation leading to the development of a

different insight, theoretical compressions or meaning. It is essential for manipulation and

memory in regards to a broad range of meanings. It plays an integral role in the development of

meaning in everyday activities such as advertising and language acquisition. The basis of the

operation is the establishment of a minimal link between binary inputs, and to establish from

these inputs to a contemporary mental space that is blended[ CITATION Eva06 \l 1033 ]. It is

essential in dynamically developing an emergent structure. Furthermore, the capacity to have an

elaborate conceptual blending is the initial capacity required for language and thought. This

essay will provide an analysis of cognitive linguistics, and will illustrate the mechanisms of

conceptual blending and how they lead to the establishment of meaning. The example used will

involve the word formation process such as compounding.

Methodologies in cognitive research

The methods in cognitive research include an analysis to look at how people tick so that

we gain an understanding of the internal processes of the mind. Cognitive research tries to look

at the human mental processes in regards to language, and their role in feeling, behaving and

thinking. The methodologies in the research involve looking at language development, and how

an individual processes information. Furthermore, it looks at how a person treats information and

response to stimuli. Many scholars have looked a cognitive linguistics such as Evans (2007) and

Geeraerts (2010). Their work will be part of the core literature of this essay.

Image schemas and mental spaces

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Compounding is one of the initial word formation processes. It is a form of conceptual

blending where the elements from a central domain frame are blended. At a linguistic level, two

free morphemes are combined to form a compound. Compounds can be in the form of nouns

(kitchen-chair) or adjective compounds (dark-blue). The boat race desribes a complex example

of blending. In this context, a modern catamaran was sailing in a race from Boston to San

Francisco. The boat is trying to go faster and win the challenge than another kind of boat that has

sailed on the same course. A newspaper reported the story as, As we went to press, Rich Wilson

and Bill Biewenga were barely maintaining a 4.5 day lead over the ghost of the Clipper

Northern Light, whose record run from San Francisco to Boston they're trying to beat. In 1853,

the clipper made the passage in 76 days, 8 hours. The story is characterized by two different

events that occurred at differing periods. The first is the race by the catamaran in 1993 and the

second context was a race by the clipper in 1853. In the quote above, the two boat races are

described as a single event. The two different events are categorized as two input mental places,

and they show salient aspects of the various events. These are the departure, voyage, and the

arrival of the boats. Further information includes the boats themselves, the time and period of

travel, and the positions of the boats during various periods of the race. The two races have a

similar schematic frame in regards to sailing from Boston from San Francisco[ CITATION Joy09

\l 1033 ]. It is also known as the generic space, and it connects the two activities. Blending

involves the partial match between the two events or inputs, and this projects selectively

emerging from the two input spaces, and ends up with another blended space.
 How conceptual blending construct meaning 4

Figure 1: Blended space

Within the blended space, the two boats follow a similar goal and are moving on the same

course. They also leave the initial point, in this case, San Francisco, on a similar day. In this

regard, completion of a pattern provides an opportunity to equate different situations as a single

race. It is done through importation of a simple background frame of the activities during the

race. The blend characterizes a construal[ CITATION Gee06 \l 1033 ]. The mapping structurally

constrains the movement of the boats. The argument used signals the combination in an explicit

manner such as the utilization of the expression ghost ship. By analyzing the race in time, we

can have the general location of the racing boats and their attributes. The blended spaces are

linked through the inputs by the mapping in that the factual inferences are then determined by the

inputs arising from the hypothetical event within the blended space. For instance, we can realize

that the second boat is moving at a higher speed in comparison to the clipper based on the year of

racing[ CITATION Bel08 \l 1033 ]. Furthermore, we have an estimate of their relative

performances, in this case, four and half days. It is also possible to interpret the feelings and

thoughts of the crews in regards to the familiar feelings linked to the domain of racing.

Essentially, the race is an example of blending. The inputs have a single structure. They are
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connected to a mapping that is cross-space, and are detailed to a blended domain[ CITATION

Bel08 \l 1033 ]. The projection provides an opportunity to establish an emergent structure to

develop by composition, elaboration (running the bend), and completion.

Metaphor

The study of metaphor compression has been of importance to cognitive linguistics. The

metaphorical and initial meaning can often take a similar amount of time to comprehend.

However, metaphors will require more processing resources and effort. Furthermore, the

comprehension strategies for metaphorical versus literal utterances could require a similar

amount of time to complete, yet they entail varying computations. The mapping stimuli used for

accurate analysis shows that words are used that thought to include some of the conceptual

operations, otherwise known as metaphor compression[ CITATION Ung06 \l 1033 ]. It entails

sentences that detail cases where an object was submitted for another and in a case where a

subject is mistaken for another. Essentially, a single object is used to represent another. In all the

contexts, the comprehender is required to establish a mapping between the two objects, and the

domains that are common for each.

In the context that the metaphor relies on the variations among the relevant concepts, then

it means that there is a degree of metaphorical inference. Even though some utterances are

prototypically metaphoric, while others are prototypically not metaphoric. They do not have any

hard distinction between these two categories[ CITATION Lak80 \l 1033 ]. A sentence that

begins with If I were a cloud can be considered as less metaphoric than one that starts with I

am a cloud.' It arises from the fact that the counterfactual invalidates the proposition that the two

objects can be categorized in one sentence. It means that both sentences can be detailed based on

a similar domain of conceptual projects and links. The profiling can also differ in both cases in
 How conceptual blending construct meaning 6

that one is more common without prototypes of metaphors[ CITATION Joy09 \l 1033 ].

Metaphors usually mean counterpart connections that lack any explicit attention to incongruities

between the linked entities.

Metonymy

A metonymy is an indexical ratio that occurs between a source and a target. The meaning

is treated and presented with metaphor. It is viewed as a particular kind of iconic relation. It

supports the belief that domains, single domains, subdomains, and separate domains that have

been used as criteria for distinguishing metonymy for metaphor are unreliable[ CITATION

Eva07 \l 1033 ]. Cognitive linguistics considers both metonymy and metaphor as mechanisms

that aid in structuring the human conceptual system. They are closely related, as both are a non-

literal application in language. However, the differences arise from the number of domains

reported. The function of the metonymy is to provide generic prompts, and they act as inputs for

additional pragmatic inferences that detail the specifics of the intended statements meaning.

Cognitive Linguistics and First Language Acquisition

First language acquisition is often studied in the context of child language acquisition. It

depends on a usage-based perspective. Even though traditional accounts of first language

acquisition (L1A) often consider the adult-like grammar and syntactic categories, there has been

little concern about whether they are mentally the case for children. The cognitive function

framework has shown that children do not act within linguistic entities that are abstracts in

nature, but rather operate based on form-meaning-item based constructions. It is only gradual

based on linguistic experience. The childrens ability to deal with more abstract and general

categories, for example, the inflection and argument structure, changes between the ages of two
 How conceptual blending construct meaning 7

to four years[ CITATION Cro04 \l 1033 ]. Furthermore, construction generalization relies on

token and type frequency, the complexity of form and consistency of form-function mapping.

They are significant aspects of language acquisition among children. It also plays a role in the

development of complex sentences, development of transitive construction in English, and

morphological development. Essentially, processing and contextual factors can influence a

language construction. For instance, a forced-choice recognition between known alternates is

often easier than useful generalizations. A critical description of first language acquisition is

detailed by a usage-based strategy in which young individuals process the language they

encounter in the context of interactions with other people. Furthermore, they rely exclusively and

explicitly on the cognitive and social skills that children at this age tend to have[ CITATION

Gee10 \l 1033 ].

Scripts, frames, and cognitive models

An essential idea in cognitive linguistics is that sentences, words, and other linguistic

structures, are not inherently meaningful. However, speakers convey a particular meaning using

them. For instance, when an individual hears the word tools,' they will utilize certain areas of

their knowledge base. Moreover, unique areas are activated based on varying degrees, and it

depends on the context in use[ CITATION Joy09 \l 1033 ]. Understanding the meaning of

particular words will mean that the individual has knowledge of the conventions and concepts

that surround the use of specific words. For instance, the term weekend means that the person

has an understanding of how a week is structured. Furthermore, it is important to appreciate the

real meaning of the term weekend. It entails the knowledge of culture in many societies.

Specifically, people often go to work from Monday to Friday.

 How conceptual blending construct meaning 8

In cognitive linguistics, the frame semantics occurs in a context where the words schematic

characteristics are detailed in regards to the way they highlight variables of an associated

structure. It can also depend on how they are structured based on a set of pre-established

assumptions. For instance, sell and buy both encourage what is known as the commercial

transaction domain. Furthermore, the sale means the seller and money, while purchase means the

buyer and the goods[ CITATION Lak80 \l 1033 ]. The tenet in cognitive linguistic suggests that

the background knowledge is characterized by a frame, and it is essential in the creation of

meaning. The language acts as a backdrop of the conceptual structure. Even though the

psychological definition of structures is not an important issue in language research, some

information supports the notion that background knowledge represented in frames affects

language compression.

Cognitive Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition

Cognitive linguistics provides a way out of the dilemma that exists between generative,

helpful linguistics and unproductive linguistics in second language pedagogy. Second Language

Acquisition (SLA) entails the study of the cognitive mechanisms and representations of second

language processing. It also looks at their time course of acquisition and the relevance of

instruction. Language applies to processing, organization, and passing information. Learning a

language entails the determination of the structure of their usage. In this context, just like

learning all other details of the world, it implies full cognition. Learning a language requires the

application of cognitive processes, images, analogies, and metaphors in thinking. It also focuses

the listeners view to the world. Essentially, attention influences the acquisition of language

itself. The cognitive linguistics principles are influential in understanding the construction of

semantic structures in the first language (L1) and the second language (L2) in regards to human
 How conceptual blending construct meaning 9

cognition capacity. It also considers the cultural behavior of both L1 and L2 users.

Cognitive Grammar

Cognitive grammar integrates language with nonlinguistic systems. It offers a way of a

promising and natural basis of language instruction. It supports a conceptually grounded account

of linguistic meaning. It shows how alternate expressions construe the same situation faintly, but

this is in different ways. Essentially, it renders comprehensible the varying means of expression a

language provides. The conceptual semantics are also not confined to a lexicon. Instead, it also

supports the characterization of grammar. Since every grammatical construction or element

imposes a specific construal of the situation being described, grammar can be presented as an

array of meaningful options whose ranges of application are in often predictable. The usage-

based nature of cognitive grammar also provides a better understanding of word formations. The

language structure emerges through abstraction from expressions that are based on usage events,

embracing all dimensions of how interlocutors in the cultural, social understand them and

discourse context[ CITATION Eva06 \l 1033 ]. Essentially, this interactive basis has several

implications for language learning. It arises from the needs to produce and understand the

appropriate experiences in a natural context.

Cognitive Linguistics and Linguistic Relativism

There is a simplification of the broad issue of the interaction between cognitive and

linguistic categorization is terms of pure, strong, and weak statements. A critical issue is whether

thought influences language or language influences thought. Both positions have been

advocated. Linguistic relativism tries to look at how language influences thought. The language

structures of a language shape the worldview of its speakers. The linguistic relativity principle

details that the differences are arising from how languages encode cognitive and cultural
 How conceptual blending construct meaning 10

categories that affect how people think. Mostly, speakers of varying languages behave and think

differently[ CITATION Bel08 \l 1033 ]. The language determines thoughts that are limited by

linguistic categories. It also defines the cognitive categories.

The impact of linguistic relativity is common in the domain of spatial cognition. It also

arises in the context of social use of the language. Research has shown that linguistic relativity

effects also affect color perception when it is processed in the left hemisphere of the brain. It

means that this half of the brain deals relies on language to a larger extent in comparison to the

right one. Language tends to affect certain kinds of cognitive processes in non-trivial ways even

though other methods have been categorized as universal in nature[ CITATION Gee10 \l 1033 ].

The principle of linguistic relativity and the link between thought and language is an important

issue in understanding word formation processes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, conceptual blending is a simple mental operation that results in the

development of a new meaning or a theoretical compression for manipulation and memory. It is

the basis for the formation of meaning in everyday life. The construction of meaning is seen

within the context of cognitive linguistics. It is essential in the word formation process such as

compounding. The essay has shown the link between cognitive linguistics and other variables

such as language acquisition, mental spaces, image schemas, and cognitive grammar. Conceptual

blending is essential to understanding the formation of words, and in the construction of

meaning.

References
 How conceptual blending construct meaning 11

Bell, M., 2008. English Language and Linguistics. 12(3), pp. 549-552.

Croft, W. & Cruse, D. A., 2004. Cognitive Linguistics. 1st ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press.

Evans, V., 2007. A Glossary of Cognitive Linguistics. 1st ed. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University

Press.

Evans, V. & Green, M., 2006. Cognitive Linguistics. An introduction. 1st ed. Edinburgh:

Edinburgh University Press.

Geeraerts, D., 2006. Cognitive Linguistics. Basic Readings. 1st ed. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

Geeraerts, D. & Cuyckens, H., 2010. The Oxford Handbook of Cognitive -Linguistics. 1st ed.

Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Joy, A., Sherry, J. F. & Deschenes, J., 2009. Conceptual blending in advertising. Journal of

Business Research, 62(1), pp. 39-49.

Lakoff, G., 1987. Women, Fire and Dangerous Things. 1st ed. Chicago: Chicago University

Press.

Lakoff, G. & Johnson, M., 1980. Metaphors we live by. 1st ed. Chicago: Chicago University

Press.

Ungerer, F. & Schmid, H. J., 2006. An Introduction to Cognitive Linguistics. 1st ed. London:

Pearson.
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