The main cognitive-semantic theories in linguistics

Abstract

This article presents an examination of the major cognitive-semantic theories in linguistics (Langacker, Lakoff, Fillmore, Croft). The CST's foundations are discussed concerning the educational policy changes, which are necessary to improve the linguistic disciplines in the changing context of higher education, as well as the empowerment and development of the industry. It is relevant in the light of the linguistic specialists' quality training and the development of effective methods of language learning. Consideration of the theories content, tools, and methods of language teaching, which are an important component of quality teaching and the formation of a set of knowledge and skills of students of linguistic specialties, remains crucial. This study aims to establish the main theoretical positions and directions of cognitive-semantic theory in linguistics, determine the usefulness of teaching the basics of cognitive linguistics, the feasibility of using methods of cognitive-semantic nature in the learning process. During the research, the methods of linguistic description and observation, analysis, and synthesis were applied. The questioning and statistical methods were also used during the work. The main hypothesis is the assumption that the system of basic theoretical innovations intersecting in the complex of cognitive-semantic theories is innovative and effective both in the field of humanitarian research and as a tool for developing modern methods of teaching, improving the effectiveness of the learning process, the formation of cognitive skills in language acquisition. The result of the study is to establish the need to study basic linguistic theories, as well as general theoretical precepts of cognitive linguistics, which remains one of the effective directions in the postmodern mainstream. It also clarifies the place of the main cognitive-semantic theories in the teaching linguistics' practice of the XXI century. In the future, the systematic application of the cognitive-semantic theories' achievements in linguistics should continue to investigate, generalize and improve the experience of using the settings of cognitive linguistics in educational institutions of different levels.