The Witcher or The Quack: what does twisting titles say about cognition and semantics?
Abstract
The article concerns the phenomenon of mistaken reconstruction from memory of linguistic information, such as the titles of films, TV series, novels, and plays. As specific proper names, these titles may be remembered either independently or within the broader context of knowledge about the work and the experience of its reception. In both cases, insufficient attention or elaboration during the process of encoding the title can lead to errors when recalling it. The aim of the study is to explore the cognitive-semantic nature of this phenomenon and to analyze its characteristic semantic constructions using tools
from cognitive linguistics, including the concept of meaning as conceptualization, the
notion of cognitive domains, and the model of meaning as scene construal. The material
under scrutiny consists of examples of humorous memory errors – incorrectly recalled
titles – that have been shared on social media. The analysis makes it possible to identify
five recurring types of errors in title reconstruction, offering insight into the semantic
cognitive mechanisms involved. These errors reflect universal cognitive-semantic and
linguistic processes. Conclusions of the study indicate that the errors align with the claims
of cognitive linguistics regarding cognition and semantics.
Keywords:
cognitive linguistics, memory, conceptualization, semantics, recall errorReferences
Brożek B. (2017): Myślenie. Podręcznik użytkownika. Kraków. Google Scholar
Damasio A. (2018): Dziwny porządek rzeczy. Życie, uczucia i tworzenie kultury. Przekład A. Jankowski. Poznań. Google Scholar
Foster J.K. (2022): Pamięć. Przekład R. Słodczyk. Warszawa. Google Scholar
Francuz P. (2011): Wyobrażeniowa natura pojęć. [W:] Pojęcia. Jak reprezentujemy i kategoryzujemy świat. Red. J. Bremer, A. Chuderski. Kraków, s. 231–246. Google Scholar
Fromkin V. (1971): The Non-Anomalous Nature of Anomalous Utterances. „Language” 47/1, s. 27–52.
Crossref
Google Scholar
Fromkin V., Bernstein Ratner N. (2005): Wytwarzanie mowy. [W:] Psycholingwistyka. Red. J.B. Gleason, N. Bernstein Ratner. Przekład zbiorowy. Gdańsk, s. 333–374. Google Scholar
Jagodzińska M. (2008): Psychologia pamięci. Badania, teorie, zastosowania. Gliwice. Google Scholar
Langacker R.W. (1987): Foundations of Cognitive Grammar. Vol. I: Theoretical Prerequisites. Stanford. Google Scholar
Langacker R.W. (2004): Semantyka językoznawcza. „Etnolingwistyka” 16, s. 29–73. Google Scholar
Langacker R.W. (2009): Gramatyka kognitywna. Wprowadzenie. Przekład E. Tabakowska i in. Kraków. Google Scholar
Nęcka E. i in. (2020). Psychologia poznawcza. Warszawa. Google Scholar
Schacter D.L. (2003): Siedem grzechów pamięci. Jak zapominamy i zapamiętujemy. Przekład E. Haman, J. Rączaszek-Leonardi. Warszawa. Google Scholar
Schacter D.L., Tulving E. (1994): What are the Memory Systems of 1994?. [W:] Memory Systems 1994. Red. D.L. Schacter, E. Tulving. Cambridge, s. 1–38.
Crossref
Google Scholar
Tabakowska E. (2016): Językoznawstwo kognitywne – geneza, kierunki i perspektywy. [W:] Przewodnik po kognitywistyce. Red. J. Bremer. Kraków, s. 79–120. Google Scholar
Taylor J.R. (2007): Gramatyka kognitywna. Przekład M. Buchta, Ł. Wiraszka. Kraków. Google Scholar
Zimbardo Ph.G. (2005): Psychologia i życie. Przekład J. Radzicki. Warszawa. Google Scholar
