Linguistic meaning as a physiologic cell: Proposing a cellular-cognitive schema of meaning

This study aims to propose a new definition of ‘meaning’ using corpus linguistics. The framework used in the current study is the Dooley and Levinsohn’s (2001) model of functional-cognitive approach. The corpus of the study contains 4 narratives (two English narratives and two Turkish ones). The results of the study show that meaning develops like a cell. As far as the study is concerned, meaning, as a physiologic cell, can be imagined as a cellular-cognitive schema. According to the cellular-cognitive schema, meaning is built in three steps like giving a birth (to a baby or a butterfly). That is, the birth of a baby, a butterfly, and meaning follow the same pattern. In the mentioned items, a cell or a unit (caterpillar regarding butterfly, sperm regarding baby, word regarding meaning) is located in the initial step. In the second step, there happens to be a cell/unit growth (butterfly: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly; baby: sperm, getting flesh/bone, baby; language: word gets new information). And in the final step, the cell/unit turns into a live creature (a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, a sperm turns into a baby, a word gets its meaning). Each of the items is produced in its context (sperm in mother’s womb, butterfly in its living environment, and language in linguistic context).