Where cognitive linguistics meets paremiology
Where cognitive linguistics meets paremiology

Summary/Abstract: This paper emphasizes the theoretical and empirical rewards of a rapprochement of Cognitive Linguistics and paremiology. Since earlier attempts at Cognitive Linguistic inroads into the paremiologist’s domain met with some resistance, it is important to reassess the potential of their cross-fertilization. By contrastively analyzing a selection of English and Croatian proverbs from a cognitive linguistic point of view, we intend to show that this combined agenda might actually be a win-win situation for both sides. The quest for universality/shared conceptual motivation typical of Cognitive Linguistics does not need to detract from the paremiologist’s folkloristic concerns. In fact, we propose cognitive linguistics as the framework for an integrated approach to studying both the universal and the culture-specific in proverbs. In this we join the large and growing number of cognitive linguists who advocate equal attention to the universal and the language-specific in cognitive linguistic scholarship (e.g. Brdar, Raffaelli, & Fuchs, 2012).

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