Space Structuring in Persian Language; a Cognitive Linguistics Approach

زبانشناسی و گویش های خراسان

Article 1, Volume 3, Issue 4, January 2011   

Document Type: علمی - پژ‍وهشی

DOI: 10.22067/lj.v3i4.18450

Authors

Mahmood Naghizadeh^* ; Manoochehr Tavangar; Mohammad Amoozadeh

Abstract

The present paper seeks to study the relationship between spatial mentality and the spatial language. Using Leibnitz’s theory which considers space as relational in language, and based on Levinson’s model (2006) in the classification of space domain, we survey the structuring process of the space concept in Persian language. The required data were gathered from among spoken and written sentences in standard Persian containing place prepositions motor-verbs and other grammatical categories referring to place. The data were analyzed with regard to the concepts of “deicticity”, “semantic extension” and “mental space” in Persian language. The results indicated that the speaker adopts a speaker-orientated approach and puts himself in the center or the spatial zero point and describes the position of things with regard to his own location

Keywords

cognitive linguistics; space; space structuring; mental space; deictic; semantic extension