Familiarity and Unfamiliarity Factor: A Variable in the Cognition of Proverbs

Sukdeb Goswami

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ellc.20190403.13

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Familiarity and Unfamiliarity Factor: A Variable in the Cognition of Proverbs

Sukdeb Goswami

Published in English Language, Literature & Culture (Volume 4, Issue 3)

Received: 28 August 2019 Accepted: 11 September 2019 Published: 25 September 2019

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Abstract

Proverbs are a very common linguistic tool that provides a mechanism for understanding the general in terms of the specific. Their usage reveals the state of mind and mutual cognitive environment of the discourse participants in a linguistic exchange. The interpretation of a proverb involves a mapping process leading the hearer to search for a correspondence between the literal statement and its meaning within a context (Gibbs 1994). My paper aims at studying how familiarity and unfamiliarity factor of a proverb acts as a variable in the cognition of proverbs. It will examine how familiar proverbs are understood in a non-literal fashion more quickly than unfamiliar proverbs. For example, ‘a rolling stone gathers no moss’ will use less processing effort than a comparatively less familiar proverb like ‘the used key is always bright’ andit will expose how ultimately greater cognitive benefits are achieved from its processing. Once the proverb is confirmed as a fixed conceptual frame, the literal and non-literal senses equally integrate into an emerging meaning structure. It will also observe how expressions of these underlying conceptual relationships in the form of verbal metaphors quickly become a part of the culture’s stock truismsand folk wisdom and how ‘conceptual integration’ and ‘frame shifting’ also depend on the familiarity and unfamiliarity of a proverb.

Published in	English Language, Literature & Culture (Volume 4, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.ellc.20190403.13
Page(s)	78-82
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), 2019. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Proverbs, Mutual Cognitive Environment, Conceptual Integration, Frame Shifting, Cultural Fields of Meaning etc

References

[1]	Coulson, S. (2001) Semantic Leaps: Frame Shifting and Conceptual Blending in Meaning Construction. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
[2]	Coulson, S. and Matlock, T, (2001) ‘Metaphor and the Space Structuring Model’, Metaphor and Symbol, 16, (3&4): 295-316.
[3]	Gibbs, RW. (1994b) The Poetics of Mind: Figurative Thought, Language and Understanding (Cambridge university Press).
[4]	Grice, P. (1991) ‘Studies in the Way of Words’, Harvard University press, London.
[5]	Lakoff, G. and Turner, M. (1989) More Than Cool Reason: A Field Guide to Poetic Metaphor (Chicago University Press).
[6]	Lakoff, G. and Johnson, M. (1980) Metaphors We Live By. Chicago University Press.
[7]	Langacker, W. Ronald, (1987) Foundations of Cognitive Grammar; Stanford University press.
[8]	Mendoza, R. de (1998), “On the Nature of Blending as a Cognitive Phenomenon” (Journal of Pragmatics, Vol. 30; P-259-274).
[9]	Mieder, Wolfgang (1993) “Proverbs are never out of Season: Popular wisdom and Modern Age” (Publisher: Peter Lang. Inc.).
[10]	Mieder, Wilfgang (2004) Proverbs: A Handbook. Greenwood: Folklore Handbooks. United States.
[11]	Oxford Learner’s Dictionary (2015) Oxford University Press. Link: http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/proverb?q=proverb.
[12]	Ritchie, L. D. (2006), Context and Connection in Metaphor (Palgrave Macmillan).
[13]	Sperber, D. (1996), Explaining Culture: A Naturalistic Approach (London; Blackwell).
[14]	Sperber, D. and Hirschfeld, L. (2007) Culture and Modularity; in ‘The Innate Mind: Culture and Cognition. Oxford University Press.
[15]	Sperber, D and Wilson, D. (1986; 1995) Relevance, Communication and Cognition (HarvardUniversity Press).
[16]	https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/proverb.

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Sukdeb Goswami. (2019). Familiarity and Unfamiliarity Factor: A Variable in the Cognition of Proverbs. English Language, Literature & Culture, 4(3), 78-82. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20190403.13

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Sukdeb Goswami. Familiarity and Unfamiliarity Factor: A Variable in the Cognition of Proverbs. Engl. Lang. Lit. Cult. 2019, 4(3), 78-82. doi: 10.11648/j.ellc.20190403.13

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AMA Style

Sukdeb Goswami. Familiarity and Unfamiliarity Factor: A Variable in the Cognition of Proverbs. Engl Lang Lit Cult. 2019;4(3):78-82. doi: 10.11648/j.ellc.20190403.13

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@article{10.11648/j.ellc.20190403.13,
  author = {Sukdeb Goswami},
  title = {Familiarity and Unfamiliarity Factor: A Variable in the Cognition of Proverbs},
  journal = {English Language, Literature & Culture},
  volume = {4},
  number = {3},
  pages = {78-82},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ellc.20190403.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20190403.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ellc.20190403.13},
  abstract = {Proverbs are a very common linguistic tool that provides a mechanism for understanding the general in terms of the specific. Their usage reveals the state of mind and mutual cognitive environment of the discourse participants in a linguistic exchange. The interpretation of a proverb involves a mapping process leading the hearer to search for a correspondence between the literal statement and its meaning within a context (Gibbs 1994). My paper aims at studying how familiarity and unfamiliarity factor of a proverb acts as a variable in the cognition of proverbs. It will examine how familiar proverbs are understood in a non-literal fashion more quickly than unfamiliar proverbs. For example, ‘a rolling stone gathers no moss’ will use less processing effort than a comparatively less familiar proverb like ‘the used key is always bright’ andit will expose how ultimately greater cognitive benefits are achieved from its processing. Once the proverb is confirmed as a fixed conceptual frame, the literal and non-literal senses equally integrate into an emerging meaning structure. It will also observe how expressions of these underlying conceptual relationships in the form of verbal metaphors quickly become a part of the culture’s stock truismsand folk wisdom and how ‘conceptual integration’ and ‘frame shifting’ also depend on the familiarity and unfamiliarity of a proverb.},
 year = {2019}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Familiarity and Unfamiliarity Factor: A Variable in the Cognition of Proverbs
AU  - Sukdeb Goswami
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PY  - 2019
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20190403.13
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AB  - Proverbs are a very common linguistic tool that provides a mechanism for understanding the general in terms of the specific. Their usage reveals the state of mind and mutual cognitive environment of the discourse participants in a linguistic exchange. The interpretation of a proverb involves a mapping process leading the hearer to search for a correspondence between the literal statement and its meaning within a context (Gibbs 1994). My paper aims at studying how familiarity and unfamiliarity factor of a proverb acts as a variable in the cognition of proverbs. It will examine how familiar proverbs are understood in a non-literal fashion more quickly than unfamiliar proverbs. For example, ‘a rolling stone gathers no moss’ will use less processing effort than a comparatively less familiar proverb like ‘the used key is always bright’ andit will expose how ultimately greater cognitive benefits are achieved from its processing. Once the proverb is confirmed as a fixed conceptual frame, the literal and non-literal senses equally integrate into an emerging meaning structure. It will also observe how expressions of these underlying conceptual relationships in the form of verbal metaphors quickly become a part of the culture’s stock truismsand folk wisdom and how ‘conceptual integration’ and ‘frame shifting’ also depend on the familiarity and unfamiliarity of a proverb.
VL  - 4
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Author Information

Sukdeb Goswami

Department of Language and Literature, Utkal University of Culture, Bhubaneswar, Odisa, India

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APA Style

Sukdeb Goswami. (2019). Familiarity and Unfamiliarity Factor: A Variable in the Cognition of Proverbs. English Language, Literature & Culture, 4(3), 78-82. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20190403.13

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ACS Style

Sukdeb Goswami. Familiarity and Unfamiliarity Factor: A Variable in the Cognition of Proverbs. Engl. Lang. Lit. Cult. 2019, 4(3), 78-82. doi: 10.11648/j.ellc.20190403.13

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AMA Style

Sukdeb Goswami. Familiarity and Unfamiliarity Factor: A Variable in the Cognition of Proverbs. Engl Lang Lit Cult. 2019;4(3):78-82. doi: 10.11648/j.ellc.20190403.13

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@article{10.11648/j.ellc.20190403.13,
  author = {Sukdeb Goswami},
  title = {Familiarity and Unfamiliarity Factor: A Variable in the Cognition of Proverbs},
  journal = {English Language, Literature & Culture},
  volume = {4},
  number = {3},
  pages = {78-82},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ellc.20190403.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20190403.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ellc.20190403.13},
  abstract = {Proverbs are a very common linguistic tool that provides a mechanism for understanding the general in terms of the specific. Their usage reveals the state of mind and mutual cognitive environment of the discourse participants in a linguistic exchange. The interpretation of a proverb involves a mapping process leading the hearer to search for a correspondence between the literal statement and its meaning within a context (Gibbs 1994). My paper aims at studying how familiarity and unfamiliarity factor of a proverb acts as a variable in the cognition of proverbs. It will examine how familiar proverbs are understood in a non-literal fashion more quickly than unfamiliar proverbs. For example, ‘a rolling stone gathers no moss’ will use less processing effort than a comparatively less familiar proverb like ‘the used key is always bright’ andit will expose how ultimately greater cognitive benefits are achieved from its processing. Once the proverb is confirmed as a fixed conceptual frame, the literal and non-literal senses equally integrate into an emerging meaning structure. It will also observe how expressions of these underlying conceptual relationships in the form of verbal metaphors quickly become a part of the culture’s stock truismsand folk wisdom and how ‘conceptual integration’ and ‘frame shifting’ also depend on the familiarity and unfamiliarity of a proverb.},
 year = {2019}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Familiarity and Unfamiliarity Factor: A Variable in the Cognition of Proverbs
AU  - Sukdeb Goswami
Y1  - 2019/09/25
PY  - 2019
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20190403.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ellc.20190403.13
T2  - English Language, Literature & Culture
JF  - English Language, Literature & Culture
JO  - English Language, Literature & Culture
SP  - 78
EP  - 82
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-2413
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20190403.13
AB  - Proverbs are a very common linguistic tool that provides a mechanism for understanding the general in terms of the specific. Their usage reveals the state of mind and mutual cognitive environment of the discourse participants in a linguistic exchange. The interpretation of a proverb involves a mapping process leading the hearer to search for a correspondence between the literal statement and its meaning within a context (Gibbs 1994). My paper aims at studying how familiarity and unfamiliarity factor of a proverb acts as a variable in the cognition of proverbs. It will examine how familiar proverbs are understood in a non-literal fashion more quickly than unfamiliar proverbs. For example, ‘a rolling stone gathers no moss’ will use less processing effort than a comparatively less familiar proverb like ‘the used key is always bright’ andit will expose how ultimately greater cognitive benefits are achieved from its processing. Once the proverb is confirmed as a fixed conceptual frame, the literal and non-literal senses equally integrate into an emerging meaning structure. It will also observe how expressions of these underlying conceptual relationships in the form of verbal metaphors quickly become a part of the culture’s stock truismsand folk wisdom and how ‘conceptual integration’ and ‘frame shifting’ also depend on the familiarity and unfamiliarity of a proverb.
VL  - 4
IS  - 3
ER  -

Copy | Download