A Cognitive Discursive Framework for the Analysis of Fictional Texts: Integrating Cognitive Semantics and Discourse Studies

Abstract

Contemporary cognitive linguists argue that the discipline’s core principle is the close relationship between language and human cognition. Current research explains how linguistic structures reflect and shape conscious experience by examining the interplay between speech production, thought processes and conceptualisation in the formation of knowledge about the world. Investigations address the ways in which cognitive operations underpin linguistic form and meaning, and how language mediates attentional, mnemonic and inferential mechanisms in turn. The constructs of “concept” and “discourse” have emerged as pivotal analytical categories that determine the orientation and methodology of modern linguistic enquiry. Treating discourse as a formalised model of language activity provides a useful approach for understanding the conceptual structures underlying communicative practice. By analysing discourse-level patterns, researchers can reveal cohesive frameworks, schematic knowledge and culturally informed interpretations that shape mental representations. Thus, discourse analysis within a cognitive framework provides insights into how linguistic embodiment, context and pragmatic structuring together instantiate and transmit world knowledge. This advances theoretical accounts of meaning formation and offers methodological approaches for empirical validation across corpora and experimental paradigms. This approach also fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and pedagogical innovation.