Kognitív szemléletű névtudományi vizsgálatok

Habilitációs értekezés összefoglalója

Absztrakt

Onomastic Studies from a Cognitive Linguistic Approach. Summary of a Habilitation Dissertation

In this thesis, the author examines various aspects of naming and name usage in the framework of cognitive linguistics. In connection with three questions of name theory (the place of names within the linguistic system, the meaning of names, and the non-prototypical use of names), the first part of the thesis discusses how names and the different proper name types exist in the mental system. The author also explains how the cognitive perspective provides new answers to old questions, often eliminating the related problems. All three thesis chapters start with an overview of recent psycho and neurolinguistic observations relating to naming and then adjust them to the linguistic description provided by the cognitive approach. By applying the cognitive linguistic approach, it is possible to research name usage in a novel manner. To illustrate this, the author presents two new research areas i) the acquisition of place names and ii) the relationship between the cognitive map and place names) in the second part of the thesis, specific investigations demonstrate the new opportunities this offers. In the third part of the thesis, the author discusses four typical naming mechanisms concerning place names (metonymic naming, metaphorical naming, semantic split, and name formation by adding a formant) in a cognitive linguistic framework. Finally, the author sets some further research directions, where we can also expect new results by applying the cognitive approach.