Cognitive Analysis Of Semantic Extension

In recent years, along with the development and prevalence of cognitive linguistics, using cognitive linguistics theories to explain polysemy has been gaining more and more academic attention. Cognitive linguistics emphasizes the role played by men’s cognition in the process of concept formation, analyzing polysemy as a linguistic phenomenon in which a word has many interrelated meanings. The relevant research shows that polysemy is a process in which the central meaning or the basic meaning of a word is being extended toward other kinds of meanings through human beings’ cognition, in other words, cognitive linguistics believes that polysemy is essentially the outcome of the cognitive categorization and conceptualization of human beings.Cognitive linguistics, using cognition as the starting point, examines semantics from multi-angle perspectives. Besides, cognitive linguistics explores the polysemy from diversified points of view, such as experience concept, prototype theory, theory of metaphor, and metonymy theory.This paper includes three parts:Part1:Summarizc the relevant research achievements concerning semantic extension in terms of traditional exegetics. modern vocabulary theory and cognitive linguisticsPart2:Present the generative mechanism of semantic extension, summarizing its diachronic and synchronic development from the perspective of its definition, causes and resultsAnalyze the phenomenon of semantic extension from the perspective of experience philosophy, prototype theory, metaphor theory, and metonymy theory...