A Study on Meanings of English Polysemous Nouns from the Perspective of Cognitive Domain

Abstract

This study presents a systematic investigation of English polysemous nouns from the perspective of cognitive domains, exploring how different cognitive domains contribute to the construction and extension of noun meanings. The research identifies and analyzes two fundamental types of cognitive domains: the Cognitive Domain for Entity and the Cognitive Domain for Event. The former is further divided into macro-cognitive and micro-cognitive domains, while the latter manifests through verb-noun and preposition-noun structures.

Through detailed analysis of authentic language examples, this study reveals that the Macro Cognitive Domain exhibits conventional characteristics of entities and establishes fixed noun meanings, while the Micro Cognitive Domain reveals entity-specific qualities that become salient in particular contexts. The research also demonstrates how nouns can extend their meanings from entity reference to event reference through qualia structure and prepositional constructions.

The findings suggest that noun polysemy is systematically motivated by cognitive mechanisms and contextual factors, rather than being arbitrary. This study not only advances theoretical understanding of polysemy but also provides practical implications for language teaching and learning. The cognitive domain framework offers valuable insights into how words acquire and maintain multiple related meanings within systematic cognitive structures.