Review of Cognitive Linguistics. Published under the auspices of the Spanish Cognitive Linguistics Association - Volume 23, Issue 2, 2025

Abstract

This thematic section focuses on the methodology of cognitive linguistics. It explores ways of answering three types of research questions: those concerning the mental representations of linguistic categories, the linguistic representation of cognitive phenomena, and the connections between conceptual and linguistic structures. Methodologically, the thematic section focuses on corpora and going beyond their use in cognitive linguistic research. Two of the papers included in this section extend the corpus data to offer more compelling evidence for various empirical inquiries, whereas the third one uses video clips to elicit data given that corpus data is not available. The languages under investigation are Arabic, English, Finnish, Italian, Spanish, and Swedish.

Abstract

This paper explores the methodological potential of combining corpus-based and video-based resources in Contrastive Analysis within the theoretical framework of Cognitive Linguistics. Focusing on the breaking domain and the verbs used to describe events in this domain in English, Italian, and Swedish, we integrate data from the TenTen corpora and IMAGACT, a multimodal linguistic resource, to examine how different linguistic resources contribute to semantic analysis. We argue that using multiple data types enhances methodological robustness. We show that the use of a video-based language resource provides a consistent and reliable tertium comparationis and allows the researchers to observe how actions are performed and to identify the characteristics of the action participants. These insights are combined with corpus data, which offers richer information about the verbs’ use in a variety of contexts. By combining different data types, we gain a more comprehensive understanding of verbs and action semantics.

Abstract

This paper benefits two audiences: researchers studying time metaphors and those employing introspective, corpus-based, and psycholinguistic methods. It is well-suited for methodology courses and for scholars exploring how these approaches intersect. Using a case study on Ego-centered Motion Metaphors of Time (EMTs), the paper examines the methodological and ontological challenges of shifting between these paradigms. It outlines the often-implicit tenets of introspective frameworks, defines linguistic illustrations, and distinguishes among encountered, prompted, and intuited examples. It also presents an analysis of commonly cited EMTs and shows how introspective definitions converge on similar prototypical illustrations. It then compares corpus retrieval strategies across eight studies. The findings show how introspective definitions are confronted with corpus data, particularly when translating introspective input into search prompts, and how data cleansing fosters new classifications. Finally, the paper identifies the limitations of corpus-based methods and highlights the types of questions that are better addressed through psycholinguistic data.

Abstract

Multilingual speakers often display what has traditionally been considered linguistic interference. It is well known that Finnish influences the language use of speakers of other languages, such as Swedish. This study focuses on how Finnish the FROM-cases elative and ablative affect the linguistic patterns of Spanish and Swedish speakers. Due to the lack of corpus data for Helsinki Spanish and relevant examples in available Finland-Swedish corpora, we elicited language samples by asking participants to describe video clips depicting scenarios like “buying something from a store” or “climbing out (from) a window.” Our aim is to assess how Swedish and Spanish speakers’ prepositional choices reflect the conceptualization exemplified by the Finnish way of using the FROM construction. We propose that the converging usage patterns we observe indicate the existence of a common FROM construction among speakers residing in the Helsinki metropolitan area.

Abstract

Many studies on cognitive-semantic analysis focus on the patterns of polysemy of prepositions and the explanation of how the multiple senses of prepositions are related in systematic ways. Only a few publications pay attention to the contrastive analysis of prepositions in different languages. The article addresses this gap in research literature and aims: to present a contrastive analysis of the English preposition on and its Italian and Russian partial equivalents in order to uncover the main areas of semantic asymmetry between them; to compare patterns of semantic extensions (from spatial to nonspatial senses) of these prepositions, and to determine how the similarities and differences in their spatial senses explain the similarities and differences in their nonspatial senses. The article follows a conceptual metaphor approach. Since most of the conceptual metaphors and metonyms are common cross-linguistically, similarities in patterns of semantic extensions of prepositions can be explained through the conceptual metaphors and metonymies on which these extensions are based. The article also demonstrates how the similarities and differences in spatial senses of the English preposition on, Italian su, and Russian na explain the similarities and differences in their nonspatial senses.

Abstract

Conative constructions have enjoyed considerable attention over the past decade from a typological perspective. However, the historical development of conativity in individual languages has been largely neglected to date. In this paper, we put forth an exhaustive diachronic analysis of the Spanish verbal construction tratar de + INF (currently ‘to attempt to INF’, whereby tratar originally means ‘handle’). We show that, unlike many periphrases, tratar de + INF does not originate in a single construction, but emerges via the conflation of separate members in a constructional network whose meanings slowly converged (in the manner of mutually supporting constructions) around a volitional meaning to generate a conative structure. The discussion sheds light on likely constructionalization paths for the development of conative meaning and highlights the role of non-periphrastic constructions as a principal means of conveying certain core modal contents in particular languages.

Abstract

This study examines the figurative conceptualization of the polysemic Amharic word fit ‘face.’ Based primarily on the “lexical approach,” the study shows how the meaning of “face” extends metaphorically and metonymically to such abstract concepts as time, emotions, and the intellect. Most of the face-related words in Amharic are also found in other languages, though cross-linguistic differences also exist. In the comparative study of body-part terms, a new approach is proposed, the “encompassing approach,” which claims that the contrastive study of body-part terms cannot be confined to a single term. Rather, it needs to consider the potential association between individual parts and specific cognitive processes. Once these processes are considered, the cross-linguistic variations between related body-part terms become marginal. We conclude that the (near)-universal status of body parts cannot be measured by examining the explicit use of a given part only.

Abstract

This study investigates the cognitive operations and cultural constraints in DOG and CAT proverbs in Taiwan Hakka and English. For understanding and interpreting proverbs, the target themes are categorized into fundamental human virtues, and the cognitive operations are exhaustively examined by Conceptual Blending Theory. It is found that temperance and humanity are the most prevalent virtues profiled in Taiwan Hakka, while wisdom and knowledge are the most dominant ones in English. The analysis explicates that Conceptual Blending Theory can serve as a universally explanatory model, and at the same time, contextual and cultural factors play crucial roles in providing parametric constraints for the use and creation of proverbs.

Abstract

This study investigates the lexical semantic access mode among students (n = 70) who speak Chinese as their first language (L1), English as a second language (L2), and are in the process of learning Spanish as their third language (L3). We use a cross-linguistic repetition priming paradigm with lexical decision tasks to assess whether semantic access to L3 Spanish words is achieved with the help of L1 Chinese or L2 English translation equivalents. The results show that the lexical semantic access mode varies depending on L3 proficiency level: Participants with high Spanish proficiency level have direct access to the concepts, while nonproficient Spanish learners have access to the Spanish words’ conceptual representation with the help of translation equivalents from both L1 Chinese and L2 English, which suggests that the Revised Hierarchical Model (Kroll and Stewart, 1994) in second language acquisition (SLA) can be extended to the third language acquisition (TLA) process. Our results also corroborate the Parasitic Model (Ecke, 2015), as trilingual speakers are shown to be dependent on previously acquired languages at the initial stage.

Abstract

The constructional idiom [IRSE/ANDAR(SE)[imperative] a CLAUSE[infinitive]] (e.g., Vete a freír espárragos, lit. ‘go to fry asparagus’; Iros a tomar viento, lit. ‘go to get wind’) is commonly used in Spanish to convey the speaker’s strong rejection, and is a hallmark of colloquial language. This makes it an excellent candidate for exploring the phenomenon of extravagance, both because of these characteristics and its structure, which includes an empty slot filled with a clause headed by an infinitive. This structural aspect contributes to variability, as its high token frequency also results in high type frequency. The corpus analysis (Sketch Engine) presented in this paper allows us to illustrate the relationship between creativity and intensification, as well as between innovation and convention. Besides, it underscores the gradual nature of creativity, culminating in extravagance, which speakers employ to gain salience and, in turn, amplify the expressiveness and emotional impact of their statements.

Abstract

This article aims to develop a cognitive-functional analysis of the Korean inferential cleft construction (ICC) by identifying two motivations. It is demonstrated that the ICC must be understood as a mechanism to improve coherence and relevance in the text; it is first and foremost motivated to establish relationships between the preceding context and the event denoted by the subordinate clause headed by kes. By pointing out that attempts to ascertain concrete meanings of the ICC are bound to be futile, we argue that various meanings the ICC exhibits arise by mapping it onto the result phase of the epistemic cycle. The second motivation for the ICC is to put the proposition in the spotlight by indicating that the global circumstances, not the speaker, warrant judgment. Consequently, the speaker staves off the responsibility for her epistemic judgment.

This article reviews Metaphor in socio-political contexts. Current Crises

This article reviews Aspects of cognitive terminology studies