THE COGNITIVE CONTENT OF THE CATEGORY “IMPERSONALITY” AND “IMPERSONAL” SENTENCES IN ENGLISH

THE COGNITIVE CONTENT OF THE CATEGORY “IMPERSONALITY” AND “IMPERSONAL” SENTENCES IN ENGLISH

Author:  Gurochkina A.G.

Affiliation:  Russian State Pedagogical University named after A.I. Herzen

Abstract:  The paper deals with the category impersonality, and the so-called impersonal sentences in English. In our study, they are regarded as descriptions of cognitive structures underlying conceptualization and categorization. Unlike their traditional treatment as “abstract tools of communication”, these grammatical structures are evaluated as a means of linguistically-mediated interactions intended to orient towards adaptation. Such an approach focuses on the problem of implicit agency because adaptation implies participation of subject, or “observer”, according to H. Maturana’s vision. That in turn calls for revising the grammatical status of “impersonal” sentences under study and put them into line with regular two-member ones, with the category of subject being expressed by default.

Keywords:  the category impersonality, impersonal sentences, cognitive structures, observer

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Pages:  572-575