Dynamic categorization and semiosis in Chinese

Research on word meaning and semantic change has long been central to both cognitive linguistics and semiotics. While previous studies have largely examined these issues within either a cognitive or a semiotic framework, few have explored how the two can be integrated to account for the mechanisms underlying meaning evolution. This study integrates Peircean semiotics and cognitive linguistics to investigate the dynamic categorization of word meanings, focusing on the diachronic evolution of the Chinese verb jiē (揭). Within a triadic semiotic framework unifying cognitive mechanisms including base/profile, image schema, metonymy, and metaphor, it traces jiē ’s shift from its original sense ‘to lift (an object) high’ through a continuum of extensions from Old Chinese to the present. The findings reveal that jiē ’s meanings have developed through three stages: (1) conservative gradual change within the category; (2) interaction/spanning between categories; and (3) de-categorization. These processes illustrate a continuum of semantic change, underpinned by dynamic cognitive operations and recurrent cycles of infinite semiosis, where stabilized Interpretants become new Representamens. The study can provide reference for future research on word meaning

Categorization · Cognition · Cognitive linguistics · Image schema · Semantic change · Semiosis · Semiotics · Categorization, perception, and language · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation