scholarly journals Conceptual integration theory and British humour: an analysis of the sitcom Miranda

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Jabłońska-Hood
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
Meaning Construction ◽  
Integration Theory ◽  
Conceptual Blending ◽  
Conceptual Integration ◽  
Mental Space ◽  
Mental Spaces ◽  
Emergent Structure ◽  
Conceptual Integration Theory ◽  
Different Levels

Conceptual integration theory (henceforth CIT), aka conceptual blending, was devised by Fauconnier and Turner (2002) as a model for meaning construction and interpretation. It is based on the notion of a mental space, which originated in Fauconnier's early research (1998). Mental spaces are structures that constitute information pertaining to a particular concept (Fauconnier and Turner 2002: 40). Interestingly, mental spaces can be linked together and blended so as to produce a novel quality not previously present. In this manner, conceptual integration serves the purpose of a theoretical model which throws light on creativity in language use. In my paper, I will apply CIT to British humour in order to use its multiway blending together with its dynamic, online running of the blended contents for the purpose of comedy elucidation. It is crucial to observe that British humour is a complex phenomenon which pertains to many different levels of interpretation, i.e. a linguistic, cultural or a discourse one. CIT possesses a well suited cognitive apparatus which can encompass the complexity of British humour with all its layers. The primary goal of the article is to analyse a selected scene from a sitcom entitled Miranda in order to show the validity of the theory in respect of humour studies. In particular, I will undertake to demonstrate that CIT, with a special emphasis on its principles such as compression and the emergent structure of the blend can deal with many processes that accumulate within British humour and result in laughter. Simultaneously, I will try to demonstrate that frame-shifting, as proposed by Coulson (2015: pp. 167-190), can be of help to CIT in humour explanation.

scholarly journals #ForgiveUsForWeHaveSinned: Conceptual integration theory and political Internet humour

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Nihada Delibegovic Dzanic ◽  
Sanja Berberovic
Keyword(s):  
Bosnia And Herzegovina ◽  
Political Discourse ◽  
Meaning Construction ◽  
Linguistic Theory ◽  
Integration Theory ◽  
Conceptual Blending ◽  
Conceptual Integration ◽  
Cognitive Mechanism ◽  
Construction Of Meaning ◽  
Conceptual Integration Theory

The aim of the paper is to uncover the extent to which different forms of political Internet humour can criticise current political affairs in a developing democracy such as Bosnia and Herzegovina. Specifically, applying a cognitive linguistic theory of meaning construction, namely conceptual integration theory, the paper analyses the construction of meaning of humorous Internet forms, such as memes, demotivational posters, hashtag posts, and memetic photographs, representing innovative ways of providing political commentaries on current political affairs. The meaning of political humour is constructed in conceptual blending as a basic cognitive mechanism. As it is claimed (Coulson & Pascual 2006, Coulson & Oakley 2006, Coulson 2006, Oakley & Coulson 2008) that blending can be used as a rhetorical tool influencing the audience to change the reality and even act upon it, the analysis of the construction of meaning of political humour as products of conceptual integration can reveal hidden ideologies in political discourse.

On the construction of the concept ‘language’: Entrenched Conceptual Integration Networks Encountered in Evolutionary Biology and Studies of Language Evolution

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roslyn M Frank
Keyword(s):  
Biological Sciences ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Language Change ◽  
Language Evolution ◽  
Biological Evolution ◽  
Feedback Mechanism ◽  
Integration Theory ◽  
Conceptual Integration ◽  
Emergent Structure ◽  
Conceptual Integration Theory

<p>In recent years the relationship between language change and biological evolution has captured the attention of investigators operating in different disciplines, particularly evolutionary biology, AI and A-Life (Zeimke 2001, Hull 2001), as well as linguistics (Croft 2000; Sinha 1999), with each group often bringing radically different conceptualizations of the object under study, namely, “language” itself, to the debate.&nbsp;Over the centuries, meanings associated with the expression “language” have been influenced by mappings of conceptual frames and inputs from the biological sciences onto the entity referred to as “language”. At the same time the prestige of the “science of linguistics” created a feedback mechanism by which the referentiality of “language”, at each stage, was mapped back into the field of evolutionary biology along with the emergent structure(s) of the resulting “blend”. While significant energy has been spent on identifying ways in which biological evolution has been linked to concepts of language evolution (Dörries 2002), little attention has been directed to the nature of the conceptual integration networks that have been produced in the process. This paper examines the way conceptual integration theory can be brought to bear on the “blends” that have been created, focusing primarily on examples drawn from 19th century debates concerning the “language-species-organism analogy” in the emerging field of comparative-historical philology.</p><p>In recent years the relationship between language change and biological evolution has captured the attention of investigators operating in different disciplines, particularly evolutionary biology, AI and A-Life (Zeimke 2001, Hull 2001), as well as linguistics (Croft 2000; Sinha 1999), with each group often bringing radically different conceptualizations of the object under study, namely, “language” itself, to the debate. Over the centuries, meanings associated with the expression “language” have been influenced by mappings of conceptual frames and inputs from the biological sciences onto the entity referred to as “language”. At the same time the prestige of the “science of linguistics” created a feedback mechanism by which the referentiality of “language”, at each stage, was mapped back into the field of evolutionary biology along with the emergent structure(s) of the resulting “blend”. While significant energy has been spent on identifying ways in which biological evolution has been linked to concepts of language evolution (Dörries 2002), little attention has been directed to the nature of the conceptual integration networks that have been produced in the process. This paper examines the way conceptual integration theory can be brought to bear on the “blends” that have been created, focusing primarily on examples drawn from 19th century debates concerning the “language-species-organism analogy” in the emerging field of comparative-historical philology. The document includes Supplemental Materials: Resource Guide and Commentaries.</p>

scholarly journals Conceptual Blending, the Second Naïveté, and the Emergence of New Meanings

Open Theology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-45
Author(s):  
Jason P. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Image Of God ◽  
Integration Theory ◽  
Conceptual Blending ◽  
Conceptual Integration ◽  
God Concept ◽  
New Meanings ◽  
Conceptual Integration Theory ◽  
The Image Of God

Abstract The field of cognitive linguistics has generated a powerful set of theoretical tools for analyzing the ways in which we understand, communicate, and create concepts. In the conceptual integration theory of Gilles Fauconnier and Mark Turner, the cognitive process known as double-scope blending provides a highdefinition model for the phenomenological hermeneutics of Paul Ricoeur. In particular, Ricoeur’s notion of developing a second naivete through the blending of ancient and contemporary worlds of meanings can be viewed as the double-scope integration of concepts across disparate conceptual frames. This re-modeling of Ricoeur’s hermeneutics gives it a new level of clarity and precision in cognitive scientific terms, which in turn may be utilized in service of theological and other forms of discourse. Conceptual integration theory also sheds light on other Ricoeur-inspired hermeneutical models and makes a case for the revelatory character of scripture through the meaning-making process of interpretation. The interpretation of the image of God concept in an evolutionary worldview serves as a heuristic example of second naivete as double-scope blending.

CONCEPTUAL BLENDING THEORY AS A TOOL FOR INTERPRETING BRITISH NATIONAL HUMOR

2021 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 48-57
Author(s):  
NIKOLAEVA NATALJA N. ◽  
◽  
KULIKOVA MARGARITA V. ◽  
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Collective Memory ◽  
National Culture ◽  
Integration Theory ◽  
Conceptual Blending ◽  
Conceptual Integration ◽  
Sense Of Humor ◽  
Historical Heritage ◽  
Conceptual Integration Theory ◽  
Historical Past

The article considers British humorous text interpretation in terms of the cognitive linguistic paradigm, in particular, conceptual blending theory. British national humor is analyzed as a preserver and exponent of the historical heritage, national culture, and national collective memory. The paper aims to demonstrate the potential of conceptual blending theory for analyzing the British sense of humor. The object is British humor. The subject is English texts with a humorous implication analyzed using an interpretative analysis based on conceptual integration theory. The novelty consists of considering this theory as an interpretative tool for researching into the collective memory of the British. It is evaluated through the prism of polymodal conceptualization along with national culture, which is inextricably linked with the English sense of humor. The paper shows that the blending theory can be successfully applied to understanding humor, since it is based on describing how cognitive thinking models and operations are organized, structured, and used. The results show that British humor focuses not only on the British national traits, lifestyle, and worldview, but also on the collective rethinking of the national historical past, in particular, the hardships that befell the British at World War II.

scholarly journals “I know not […] what I myself am”: Conceptual Integration in Susan Heyboer O’Keefe’s ”Frankenstein’s Monster” (2010)

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrzej Sławomir Kowalczyk
Keyword(s):  
Active Participation ◽  
Meaning Construction ◽  
Conceptual Blending ◽  
Conceptual Integration ◽  
Philosophical Concept ◽  
Great Chain Of Being ◽  
Mental Spaces

<p>The article proposes a cognitive-poetic reading of Susan Heyboer O’Keefe’s novel <em>Frankenstein’s Monster </em>(2010) – a modern rendition of the myth of Victor Frankenstein and his Creature – with regard to the theory of conceptual integration proposed by G. Fauconnier and M. Turner (2002). It is argued that the reader’s conceptualization of the eponymous Monster emerges in the proces of conceptual blending, where several input mental spaces, constructed around elements of the philosophical concept of the Great Chain of Being, are merged to produce a novel entity. Thus, the reader’s active participation in meaning construction allows her/him to redefine her/his perception of monstrosity.</p>

scholarly journals Semantic Features of Hungarian Neologisms With the Prefix Be: Analysis of Some Frequently Used Verbs (e.g., bevállal)

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 358-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Réka Sólyom
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
Claim Data ◽  
Integration Theory ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
Conceptual Integration ◽  
Conceptual Integration Theory ◽  
Help Model

The present paper deals with the semantic features of three Hungarian neologisms (becéloz, betámad, bevállal), and analyzes their semantic structures with the help of the Conceptual Integration Theory (Blending Theory). The words analyzed are verbs that have been used with the prefix be in recent years, although they are well-established with other prefix(es).  As be is one of the oldest Hungarian prefixes, it has likely gained new function(s) in these cases. To substantiate this claim, data was gathered from two questionnaires (in 2010 and in 2014), and informants’ answers concerning meaning and style were analyzed. These data can help the survey in other fields too: firstly, they can help model the processes of understanding (or misunderstanding) of these neologisms, secondly, they can help model the semantic structures of the verbs within the framework of Blending Theory. Thirdly, these data can help indicate language use at a given point in time, from a synchronic viewpoint.

scholarly journals Discourse-Driven Meaning Construction in Neosemantic Noun-to-Verb Conversions [Meaning Construction In Noun-To-Verb Conversions]

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafał Augustyn
Keyword(s):  
Present Article ◽  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Meaning Construction ◽  
Conversion Process ◽  
Integration Theory ◽  
Field Of Study ◽  
Conceptual Integration ◽  
Discourse Context ◽  
Cognitive Motivation ◽  
Conceptual Integration Theory

Neosemantic noun-to-verb conversions such as beer → to beer, door → to door, pink → to pink, etc., constitute a particularly interesting field of study for Cognitive Linguistics in that they call for a discourse-guided and context-based analysis of meaning construction. The present article takes a closer look at the cognitive motivation for the conversion process involved in the noun-verb alterations with a view to explaining the semantics of some conversion formations in relation to the user-centred discourse context. The analysis developed in this article draws from the combined insights of Fauconnier and Turner’s (2002) Conceptual Integration Theory and Langacker’s (2005, 2008) Current Discourse Space.

scholarly journals КРЕАТИВНІСТЬ ІДІОМАТИЧНОГО ПРОСТОРУ СОЦІАЛЬНОЇ ІНТЕРАКЦІЇ

2021 ◽  
pp. 7-15
Author(s):  
Юрій Ковалюк
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Corpus Analysis ◽  
Integration Theory ◽  
Canonical Forms ◽  
Conceptual Blending ◽  
Conceptual Integration ◽  
Base Form ◽  
Australian English ◽  
Relevant Publication ◽  
Conceptual Integration Theory

The present paper is a study of creativity of idiomatic space in the national varieties of English. The defi nition of the term ‘idiomatic space of social interaction’ has been suggested, formulated as “the property of the idiomatic space of social interaction to, either individually or collectively, form new idiomatic units or to adjust them according to the pragmatic and communicative goals of discourse”, and is further investigated in the News on the Web (NOW) corpus evidenced from canonical and non-canonical forms of the idiom have your cake and eat it (too). In total, 1158 instances of the use of the above idiom were investigated in fi ve national varieties of English (British English, American English, Canadian English, Australian English, and New Zealand English). Based on the data obtained, it was discovered that canonical forms of the idiom under analysis prevail over non-canonical forms (79.8% to 20.2%). Further, this was verifi ed with the help of concordance analysis using AntConc freeware corpus analysis toolkit, which showed minor deviations of the idiom from its base form. However, despite being in the minority, the non-canonical forms of have your cake and eat it (too) lend themselves to a rigorous analysis from the standpoint of the conceptual integration theory. One such instance of conceptual blending – to have their cake and eat it and then expect to still have it to eat later on when they’re hungry. And a bag to put it in – was considered in the present paper. The overall analysis has proved the applicability of the conceptual integration theory to idiomatic creativity in terms of idiomatic inputs and blends. Since no direct blends inv olving the above idiom were identifi ed in the NOW corpus, a wider context of the idiom (at least two or three sentences along with the title of the relevant publication) was considered. This provides certain evidence to hypothesize that the conceptual integration theory is not a universal one when it comes to interpreting idiomatic creativity. With this in mind, further quantitative and qualitative analyses are needed to rigorously determine the place of the conceptual integration theory in examining idiomatic creativity. Key words: study of idioms, idiomatic space, corpus analysis, conceptual integration theory, creativity of idiomatic space.

The tragic in Greek drama and conceptual blending

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-190
Author(s):  
Georgios Ioannou
Keyword(s):  
Reference Scenario ◽  
Conceptual Blending ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
Conceptual Integration ◽  
Simultaneous Generation ◽  
Greek Drama ◽  
Common Space ◽  
Mental Spaces ◽  
Emergent Structure

AbstractThis paper examines the tragic sense permeating ancient Greek drama as a product of a special type of conceptual integration between two antithetic mental spaces, which prompts the simultaneous generation of two mutually exclusive emergent structures. The special tragic sense generated carries along the inferences of two equally impossible situations. The key-difference between this type of blend and other counterfactuals is argued to be found in the lack of reference scenario in the blend. In the context of theatrical enactment, the realisation of this special type of antithetic blend is based on the frame-clash between conceived and enacted space, matched by the emotions of pity and fear, respectively. The feeling of catharsis that follows the end of the play is analysed as a second level blend within the emergent structure that leads to the restoration of a single common space of cognitive compatibility between actors and audience.

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