Cognitive Mechanisms of English Proverbs
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Abstract
This study aims to deal with proverbs related to nature from a cognitive viewpoint. The focus is on understanding the nature of proverbs which reflect intelligent behaviour based on information processing capacities of the human mind. It also attempts to show the complexity of the mental processing involved in nature-based proverbs. Understanding proverbs requires higher order cognitive abilities. Mental mechanisms working in the production and comprehension of proverbs are investigated. Data for the present study are collected from Internet and dictionaries and analyzed, using descriptive qualitative method to determine the cognitive structures and conceptual mechanisms that underlie proverbs. The results reveal that proverbs combine knowledge of natural phenomena with people’s social experiences displaying the conceptual connections between source and target domains.
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