Author(s): Gábor GYŐRI

Title: WORD MEANING AND CULTURAL CONCEPTUALIZATION: CROSS-LINGUISTIC VARIATION AND THE ROLE OF CONCEPTUAL PERSPECTIVES

Source: P. Baka, D. Borbélyová, A. Csehiová, K. Józsa, K. Kéri, B. Kiss, O. Magirovskaya, Y. Orsovics, B. Pukánszky, Sz. Simon, P. Šenkár, A. Tóth-Bakos, A. Tóthné Litovkina, A. Varga (eds.): 17th International Scientific Conference of J. Selye University. Sessions of the Faculty of Education. Conference Proceedings

ISBN: 978-80-8122-539-0

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36007/5390.2026.496

Publisher: J. Selye University, Komárno, Slovakia

PY, pages: 2025, 498-507

Published on-line: 2026

Language: en

Abstract: A language is not simply a tool for communication but it is also a cognitive device. Its function is to serve the communication and transfer of mental content between speakers in a cultural community. This is based on the conceptual category system represented by the lexicon of a language shared by the members of a culture. But this system changes with time due to the speakers’ changing perspectives related to their natural and socio-cultural environment, and this will yield culturally influenced conceptualizations embodied in the linguistic system of conceptual categories. As a result, there are often considerable cross-linguistic differences in the semantics of seemingly corresponding lexical items because due to the perspectival nature of lexical meaning there is often no complete overlap in the conceptualizations comprised in these lexical elements.

Keywords: lexical semantics, categorization, conceptualization, cultural perspectives, cross-linguistic differences

Fulltext (PDF)