Cognitive foundations of the semantics of coordinative units (based on French-language material)

The research aims to develop a cognitive model of the semantics of coordinative units, revealing the cognitive mechanism of their meaning formation through combinations of image schemas. The article examines the cognitive foundations of logico-semantic relations encoded by coordinating conjunctions and their analogues in modern French. Based on the integration of cognitive grammar methodology (R. Langacker), image schema theory (M. Johnson, G. Lakoff), and the model of ontogenetic development of cognitive structures (J. Mandler), an analysis methodology was proposed and tested. This methodology includes identifying image schemas, revealing their stable combinations, and subsequently modeling the semantic space of the units under study. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the construction of a three-level model that demonstrates the formation of the meaning (profile) of a functional unit based on configurations of image schemas, structured by elements of fundamental and derived cognitive domains. The paper also proves the ontological connection between patterns of sensorimotor experience and the system of abstract logico-semantic relations represented in language. As a result, the study established that the semantics of coordinative units are systematically motivated: each logico-semantic class of units profiles meaning based on a unique combination of image schemas, forming four cognitive strategies (integrative, differentiating, prospective, and retrospective).