Boundary Assignment: A Cognitive Motivation for Lexicalization

Liu Chendan

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijll.20180604.12

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Boundary Assignment: A Cognitive Motivation for Lexicalization

Liu Chendan

Published in International Journal of Language and Linguistics (Volume 6, Issue 4)

Received: 26 June 2018 Accepted: 9 July 2018 Published: 4 August 2018

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Abstract

Lexicalization is a process of structural innovation in language change, which is motivated by a human cognitive ability of structural boundary assignment in the construction of linguistic structures. In this process, the first innovative form may be a result of a language user’s intentional violation of a structural organization rule for a certain communicative purpose. The receiver, trying to correctly understand what the producer means, will have to make cognitive efforts to establish a structural gestalt by way of assigning structural boundaries. If the receiver’s boundary assignment comes to an agreement with the producer’s and accords with Gestalt Laws in human cognition, the innovative form will be accepted and spread in the language community and then finally entrench itself as new grammatical convention. That is the general process of lexicalization. The boundary assigning tendency manifested in the process of linguistic structure construal is a cognitive ability dominated by Gestalt Laws in human cognition of the world and world relations, which is actually a driving force for linguistic structural organization, and therefore an important motivation for lexicalization.

Published in	International Journal of Language and Linguistics (Volume 6, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijll.20180604.12
Page(s)	110-117
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2018. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Lexicalization, Gestalt Establishment, Boundary Assignment, Cognitive Motivation

References

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Liu Chendan. (2018). Boundary Assignment: A Cognitive Motivation for Lexicalization. International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 6(4), 110-117. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20180604.12

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Liu Chendan. Boundary Assignment: A Cognitive Motivation for Lexicalization. Int. J. Lang. Linguist. 2018, 6(4), 110-117. doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.20180604.12

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AMA Style

Liu Chendan. Boundary Assignment: A Cognitive Motivation for Lexicalization. Int J Lang Linguist. 2018;6(4):110-117. doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.20180604.12

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@article{10.11648/j.ijll.20180604.12,
  author = {Liu Chendan},
  title = {Boundary Assignment: A Cognitive Motivation for Lexicalization},
  journal = {International Journal of Language and Linguistics},
  volume = {6},
  number = {4},
  pages = {110-117},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijll.20180604.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20180604.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijll.20180604.12},
  abstract = {Lexicalization is a process of structural innovation in language change, which is motivated by a human cognitive ability of structural boundary assignment in the construction of linguistic structures. In this process, the first innovative form may be a result of a language user’s intentional violation of a structural organization rule for a certain communicative purpose. The receiver, trying to correctly understand what the producer means, will have to make cognitive efforts to establish a structural gestalt by way of assigning structural boundaries. If the receiver’s boundary assignment comes to an agreement with the producer’s and accords with Gestalt Laws in human cognition, the innovative form will be accepted and spread in the language community and then finally entrench itself as new grammatical convention. That is the general process of lexicalization. The boundary assigning tendency manifested in the process of linguistic structure construal is a cognitive ability dominated by Gestalt Laws in human cognition of the world and world relations, which is actually a driving force for linguistic structural organization, and therefore an important motivation for lexicalization.},
 year = {2018}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Boundary Assignment: A Cognitive Motivation for Lexicalization
AU  - Liu Chendan
Y1  - 2018/08/04
PY  - 2018
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20180604.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijll.20180604.12
T2  - International Journal of Language and Linguistics
JF  - International Journal of Language and Linguistics
JO  - International Journal of Language and Linguistics
SP  - 110
EP  - 117
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-0221
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20180604.12
AB  - Lexicalization is a process of structural innovation in language change, which is motivated by a human cognitive ability of structural boundary assignment in the construction of linguistic structures. In this process, the first innovative form may be a result of a language user’s intentional violation of a structural organization rule for a certain communicative purpose. The receiver, trying to correctly understand what the producer means, will have to make cognitive efforts to establish a structural gestalt by way of assigning structural boundaries. If the receiver’s boundary assignment comes to an agreement with the producer’s and accords with Gestalt Laws in human cognition, the innovative form will be accepted and spread in the language community and then finally entrench itself as new grammatical convention. That is the general process of lexicalization. The boundary assigning tendency manifested in the process of linguistic structure construal is a cognitive ability dominated by Gestalt Laws in human cognition of the world and world relations, which is actually a driving force for linguistic structural organization, and therefore an important motivation for lexicalization.
VL  - 6
IS  - 4
ER  -

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Author Information

Liu Chendan

Foreign Languages School, Henan University, Kaifeng, China

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APA Style

Liu Chendan. (2018). Boundary Assignment: A Cognitive Motivation for Lexicalization. International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 6(4), 110-117. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20180604.12

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ACS Style

Liu Chendan. Boundary Assignment: A Cognitive Motivation for Lexicalization. Int. J. Lang. Linguist. 2018, 6(4), 110-117. doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.20180604.12

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AMA Style

Liu Chendan. Boundary Assignment: A Cognitive Motivation for Lexicalization. Int J Lang Linguist. 2018;6(4):110-117. doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.20180604.12

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijll.20180604.12,
  author = {Liu Chendan},
  title = {Boundary Assignment: A Cognitive Motivation for Lexicalization},
  journal = {International Journal of Language and Linguistics},
  volume = {6},
  number = {4},
  pages = {110-117},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijll.20180604.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20180604.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijll.20180604.12},
  abstract = {Lexicalization is a process of structural innovation in language change, which is motivated by a human cognitive ability of structural boundary assignment in the construction of linguistic structures. In this process, the first innovative form may be a result of a language user’s intentional violation of a structural organization rule for a certain communicative purpose. The receiver, trying to correctly understand what the producer means, will have to make cognitive efforts to establish a structural gestalt by way of assigning structural boundaries. If the receiver’s boundary assignment comes to an agreement with the producer’s and accords with Gestalt Laws in human cognition, the innovative form will be accepted and spread in the language community and then finally entrench itself as new grammatical convention. That is the general process of lexicalization. The boundary assigning tendency manifested in the process of linguistic structure construal is a cognitive ability dominated by Gestalt Laws in human cognition of the world and world relations, which is actually a driving force for linguistic structural organization, and therefore an important motivation for lexicalization.},
 year = {2018}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Boundary Assignment: A Cognitive Motivation for Lexicalization
AU  - Liu Chendan
Y1  - 2018/08/04
PY  - 2018
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20180604.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijll.20180604.12
T2  - International Journal of Language and Linguistics
JF  - International Journal of Language and Linguistics
JO  - International Journal of Language and Linguistics
SP  - 110
EP  - 117
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-0221
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20180604.12
AB  - Lexicalization is a process of structural innovation in language change, which is motivated by a human cognitive ability of structural boundary assignment in the construction of linguistic structures. In this process, the first innovative form may be a result of a language user’s intentional violation of a structural organization rule for a certain communicative purpose. The receiver, trying to correctly understand what the producer means, will have to make cognitive efforts to establish a structural gestalt by way of assigning structural boundaries. If the receiver’s boundary assignment comes to an agreement with the producer’s and accords with Gestalt Laws in human cognition, the innovative form will be accepted and spread in the language community and then finally entrench itself as new grammatical convention. That is the general process of lexicalization. The boundary assigning tendency manifested in the process of linguistic structure construal is a cognitive ability dominated by Gestalt Laws in human cognition of the world and world relations, which is actually a driving force for linguistic structural organization, and therefore an important motivation for lexicalization.
VL  - 6
IS  - 4
ER  -

Copy | Download