Journal of Eurasian Studies

October-December 2012 JOURNAL OF EURASIAN STUDIES Volume IV., Issue 4.
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the relationship between concepts and domains, the connection possibilities of concepts, the conceptbuilding
possibilities, and use of concepts, the emergence of the concepts in action.
The domain-concept-name unit
The connections between the factors of the cognition process – domain, concept and linguistic element
– are strong. The linguistic operations are closely related to the operation of the sensory and motor fields
of the brain. During use of the language the linguistic (formal) and the associated sensory and motor
areas of the brain work simultaneously, see Bergen, Chang, Narayan (2004). According to the research of
Pulvermüller et al (2001) and Hauk et al (2004), processing of movement verbs of the given body part
correlates with the operation of the relevant brain field. Tettamanti et al (2005) also found this. Results of
Richardson et al (2003) and Glen Berg and Kaschak (2002) show that phrases capturing movements and
motor tasks are strongly cross-linked, in case of discrepancy fault is detected. All these results show that
the concept 'grasping' domain (experiential content) and linguistic name form a closely linked unit. On
this basis, Bergen and Chang (2005), Chang, Feldman, Narayan (2004), developed their
construction-based theory of cognition units, called ‘Embodied Construction Grammar’.
A natural concept is born from the domain, there is an organic link, relationship between them. The
linguistic name is created from the concept. Links between names and concepts are strong in a lot of
languages. There are languages where this link is weak. According to experiments, it is better when the
connection between conceptual and linguistic layers is strong. In case of connection, similarity between
linguistic form and conceptual content, both the naming and understanding, are faster, better and more
efficient. This is reflected in the results of the investigations. Connection, similarity greatly facilitates
action planning and implementation, shorten response time, speed up response. If there are many
common elements in the concept and its name, than understanding, language use and action are much
easier, faster because the internal associations occur sooner. The operation of the 'mirror cells' and the
stimulus-response experiments show when there is relationship, similarity, matching between the object
of cognition and the object of action, then internal processes are more agile, action is faster. The linguistic
sign, which somehow reminds the characteristics of the concept, is formed faster. The same is true for
understanding; creating internal image from the linguistic sign and than connecting it to the concept, is
faster if form-content relationship exists between the linguistic element and the concept. See Proctor and
Reeve eds. (1990), and Hommel and Prinz eds. (1997).
The tightness of the relationship between conceptual content and linguistic form is illustrated in the
following train of thought about the relationship between content and form in the traffic sign system:
The traffic rules are displayed by traffic signs. They show that, e.g. pedestrians are to be expected,
there are workers on the road, it is forbidden to overtake a car, etc. Obviously, these rules could be
signed differently, e.g. with serial numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on. If we would like to create a new rule, we
have to assign a new number to the issued rule, it is easy. Do you imagine what this system would
cause?! It would be very difficult to connect the numbers to the content, to remember the number of the
rules, in real life, during driving, where we must quickly decide how to act, this system would cause
fatal situations. Much more easy to decide what to do by remembering the images of the walker, the
worker, the wagon etc. The language is similar too. If there is connection between the sign and the
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