ON COGNITION, CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION IN KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

ON COGNITION, CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION IN KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

Author:  V.Z. Demyankov

Affiliation:  Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Abstract:  Linguists describing large text corpora normally explore what may be called linguistic traces of knowledge transfer. Such approach to linguistic description characterizes anthropologically-oriented cognitive linguistics. Additionally to considering meanings of linguistic expressions cognitive linguists try to elicit the dynamics of human knowledge evidenced by phenomena usually looked at as non-literal meanings and connotations of linguistic units. Thus knowledge transfer underlies non-literal use of linguistic expressions when what is not immediately experienced is talked about in terms of what is immediately known. The distinction between civilization (as a set of standards and regularities of human behavior above the national level) and culture (as a set of national standards and regularities of behaviour) may be useful. Linguistic cognition relies not only on immediate knowledge but also on civilizationally and culturally induced knowledge. Non-literal uses of words denoting “black” and “heritage” in Russian and in some European and non-European languages demonstrate some differences of mechanisms of civilizational and cultural knowledge transfer.

Keywords:  knowledge transfer, non-literal use of language, civilizationally induced vs. culturally induced knowledge transfer.

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Pages:  5-9