Archetypical Cognitivistics: A Method of Semantic Analysis Based on Visual Interpretation of Letter Forms

This paper introduces archetypical cognitivistics — an original hermeneutic method of semantic analysis that treats alphabetic letters as self-contained symbols bearing archetypal meanings determined by their visual forms. The method links these meanings through a six-case grammatical logic (nominative through prepositional), producing cause-and-effect chains that reveal the latent semantic structure of any word. Drawing on Jungian archetype theory, Peircean semiotics, Gestalt psychology, and cognitive linguistics, the paper establishes theoretical foundations for the approach and demonstrates its application through the analysis of a proper name (YEHOR) and a cross-linguistic comparative study of four words meaning "disease" in Ukrainian (ХВОРОБА), Russian (БОЛЕЗНЬ), English (DISEASE), and French (MALADIE). The comparative analysis reveals that each language encodes a distinct archetypal perspective on the same phenomenon: Ukrainian emphasises external collision and retention by form; Russian describes an internal process from form to flexibility; English captures the failure of protective individuality within transformation; French foregrounds the trial of relational strength. The paper further proposes four experimental designs for empirical verification, including cross-cultural association studies, blind word analysis, a randomised controlled therapeutic trial, and neuroimaging of letter form perception. Archetypical cognitivistics is positioned as an instrument of self-knowledge and therapeutic reflection with potential applications in counselling, education, and creative practice. Subject areas: Cognitive Psychology, Psycholinguistics, Analytical Psychology, Semiotics