Container Scheme-Image and Its Types: English Phrasal Verbs of Cognitive Activity

Abstract

The article features the compositional semantics of phrasal verbs that denote a cognitive activity, as well as the interaction between their conceptual structure and the particle. The conceptual structures of these components can be described as mental schemes, e.g., a container with a certain vector of cognitive projection, and a number of subtypes. The compositional semantics of phrasal verbs of cognitive activity revealed that the interaction between the conceptual structure of the verb and the particle is a cognitive mechanism that develops its semantics. The container metaphor is based on the semantic potential of the verbal component and such particles as in, out, and through. These particles are usually combined with verbs of movement, physical activity, and perception. As part of phrasal verbs of mental activity, they realize the following prototypical concepts: the subject / object of the action gets into / penetrates into the container, is out / outside of the container, or crosses the border of the container, respectively. The role of the container belongs not to real objects, but to abstract entities, e.g., memory, consciousness, attention, feelings, thoughts, etc., as well as various physical and mental states or situations in which objects are immersed.

Keywords

• scheme-image
• compositional semantics,
• conceptual structure
• particle
• cognitive domain
• cognitive projection