ON THE EPISTEMIC FUNCTIONALITY OF LANGUAGE: A LINGUISTIC-PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5840/eps202562224Keywords:
language, epistemic focus, cognition, linguistic “assemblage”, semantic ambiguity, unconsciousness of linguistic practice, cognitive science, epistemic functionalityAbstract
This article seeks to broaden the scope of research on contemporary neurocognitive approaches to language comprehension by examining it through the lens of linguistic-philosophical analysis, with a focus on its epistemic functionality. The central issue addressed is the linguistic “assembly” of meaning – that is, how language structures perceptual experience and shapes the cognitive intentions of the subject. The study explores key features of natural language functioning, including *epistemic focus*, *semantic ambiguity*, and *unconscious processing*. Through an analysis of meaning differentiation and classification processes, the manifestation of epistemic focus in language is observed. It is demonstrated that the advanced development of any linguistic system is fundamentally oriented toward expressing and capturing shifts in meaning. Semantic ambiguity is examined as a crucial aspect of the language-thought relationship, enabling both the dynamism of meaning and the evolution of ontology. Furthermore, the role of unconscious mechanisms in linguistic practice is investigated. Beyond its function in automatic self-regulation, which reduces cognitive load, unconscious processing is argued to facilitate a symbiotic connection between language and thought. The study concludes by conceptualizing language as a domain of mental modeling, emphasizing its epistemic role in shaping cognitive structures.
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