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VOLUME:
Vol.06 Issue05 2025
10.37547/philological-crjps-06-05-02
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Frame Analysis of The Space Category in The English
Language
Kuvandikova Dildora Alievna
PhD student, National University of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, 100000 Uzbekistan
Received:
17 March 2025
Accepted:
13 April 2025
Published:
15 May 2025
INTRODUCTION
In cognitive linguistics, a frame is a mental structure that
organizes our knowledge and understanding of the world.
Frames help us interpret words and concepts by placing
them in a familiar context or scenario. For example, when
we hear the word restaurant, we think of customers, menus,
waiters, and meals. This mental structure allows us to
understand the material quickly and process language. [10]
METHODS
The term "frame" in linguistics has been defined and
elaborated upon by various scholars, particularly within
cognitive linguistics. According to Charles J. Fillmore, "A
frame is a structured mental representation of a situation or
event, consisting of various entities and roles that are
contextually linked". Fillmore (1982) introduced the idea
of frame semantics, arguing that the meaning of a word is
best understood by the conceptual frame it evokes. [1] For
example, the verb sell presupposes a frame of a
commercial transaction involving a seller, buyer, goods,
and money. Another scholar George Lakoff defined the
term "frame" as mental structures that shape the way we
see the world, influencing both thought and language. They
are
foundational
to
understanding
how
people
conceptualize experiences and use metaphors. [5] Lakoff
expanded the concept of frames into political and social
domains, showing how framing impacts public discourse
and decision-making. Additionally, Marvin Minsky
explained frames as data structures for representing
stereotyped situations, used in artificial intelligence and
cognitive psychology, linguistics. [9] A frame includes
slots (elements) that can be filled with specific instances or
default values. His definition influenced the cognitive
perspective on frames in linguistics, linking it to
computational models of understanding. Besides that,
Ronald W. Langacker also stated that frames are cognitive
domains or conceptual structures that provide the
ABSTRACT
This article explores the concept of frames in cognitive linguistics, focusing on their role in structuring human understandi ng and
interpretation of the world. Frames are mental structures that organize knowledge into familiar contexts, enabling efficient
processing and interpretation of language. The article examines key 0000-0003-1312-1656definitions and theories of frames as
proposed by scholars such as Charles J. Fillmore, George Lakoff, Marvin Minsky, Ronald W. Langacker, Erving Goffman, Gilles
Fauconnier, and Eleanor Rosch, highlighting their contributions to understanding linguistic meaning and contextualization. Th e
study demonstrates how frames and their slots (variable elements) provide structure to conceptual domains such as space,
categorization, and cultural differences, using examples like "house," "restaurant," and "office" frames. Through detailed fr ame
analysis, the article explores the overlap and interconnection of slots across different frames, revealing their flexibility in
accommodating linguistic and cultural variations. For instance, the slot "table" can transcend multiple frames, appearing in
contexts related to homes, workplaces, and public spaces like restaurants.
Keywords:
Frame, frame analysis, slots, sub-slots, concept, mental representation, framing, scenario, conceptual frame, frame semantics.
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background knowledge necessary to interpret linguistic
expressions. [4] In his book Cognitive Grammar,
Langacker emphasized that frames are integral to the
semantic interpretation of grammar and lexicon. While
Erving Goffman defined frames as schemata of
interpretation that enable individuals to understand and
classify
events,
actions,
and
experiences,
Gilles
Fauconnier stated that frames are conceptual structures that
organize mental spaces, temporary mental constructs used
in reasoning and understanding language. [2] Fauconnier's
work in mental space theory builds on frames as
foundational to how language maps onto cognition.
Another definition of the term frame was given by Eleanor
Rosch declaring that frames are closely related to
prototypes and categorization, representing typical or
idealized instances of concepts. [7] While her work focuses
on cognitive psychology, it influences the linguistic
perspective on how frames guide categorization and
meaning.
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
Frames are important to understanding words as they link
words to real-life situations, making it easier to grasp their
meanings. Furthermore, it helps to understand cultural
differences as frames differ across cultures, which explains
why some concepts are harder to translate or understand in
another language. Moreover, frames are essential to grasp
contextual meaning as they provide the context needed to
interpret language in specific situations. [3]
To do frame analysis, first, a specific concept should be
chosen such as "space" or travel. After that, the boundaries
of the frame should be defined by considering what it
includes and excludes. The frame of "restaurant," might
consist of roles (e.g., waiter, customer), objects (e.g.,
menu, table), and actions (e.g., ordering, paying). The next
step is defining the core elements including upper-level
nodes, which represent the essential components of the
frame, and slots, which are variable elements or specific
details that can change depending on the scenario. In the
"space" frame, core elements might include location
(fixed) and direction (slots). Following this, linguistic
expressions are examined by analyzing how the concept is
expressed in language. If we take space category as an
example, there are prepositions: in, on, under, above;
verbs: enter, exit, ascend, descend; nouns: room, path,
boundary and adjectives: near, far, wide, narrow in
English. Another step is creating a diagram or schema to
represent the frame.
The frame for a "house" includes components such as a
foundation, walls, floor, ceiling, and roof. Even if we only
see part of a house, those visible elements can trigger the
"house" frame. This, in turn, activates related subframes
associated with the unseen parts of the house, filling in
missing details based on default assumptions. For example,
if some parts of the house are unusual or partially hidden,
the frame will "search" for these details based on the
typical structure of a house. Even if the house itself is out
of sight, the observer can still "imagine" it because the
"being located" frame requires filling a terminal with the
"somewhere" subframe, linking it to the general "house"
frame.
Consider the category of "house" in different linguistic
cultures. In British English, this category includes terms
such as housing estate, council house, Georgian house,
bungalow, suburban semi-detached house, terraced house,
tower block, and thatched cottage. In American English, it
includes Victorian houses, farmhouses, plantation houses,
apartment buildings, New England houses, row houses,
brownstones, ranch houses, mobile homes, and apartment
blocks. Despite the cultural and architectural differences,
all these types fit into the broader concept of "house"
because their dictionary definitions share the overarching
meaning [HOUSE].
For example:
Bungalow:
(BrE) A house entirely on ground level.
(AmE) A small house, typically all on one level.
This shows how frames accommodate cultural variations
while maintaining a shared core meaning.
Thatched cottage – a house in the countryside with a
thatched roof;
Brownstone – a house with a façade made of soft reddish-
brown stone, commonly found in New York City
[LDELC]. [6]
This classification arises because the concept of "house" is
structured through a series of frames that represent it as a
type of building designed for people to live in (a building
for people to live in [LDELC]). According to this
definition, a house as a living space can be described using
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various groups of features that form the slots of the "house"
frame, represented by objects within the house that define
its spatial localization. [6]
The first group of features includes the architectural
aspects of a house as a building. This category comprises
concepts such as foundation, basement, walls, windows,
doors, floors, ceilings, attic, and roof. For example,
Crichton (329):
Bright sunlight streamed in through the big windows on the
fifth floor.
This sentence activates the slots "window" and "floor."
The second group of features centers around the concept of
a room, which is defined as a division of a building with its
walls, floor, and ceiling, typically used for a specific
purpose [LDELC]. This category includes concepts such
as hallway, corridor, living room, dining room, kitchen,
and bathroom. For example, I placed a man in the corridor
last night and told him to make an accurate note of any
sound he might hear from Renfield's room. Stoker (297)
Here, the slots "corridor" and "room" are activated. [14]
Each room, based on its functionality, includes a
stereotypical set of furniture or specific items and
appliances. For example, a living room typically contains
chairs, a table, a sofa, an armchair, and a television. Thus,
the previously mentioned room slots can also be
characterized by multiple "furniture" slots.
Another group is functional spatial slots. For instance,
Follett (11):
Faber entered the house, hung his hat on the hall stand,
washed his hands, and went in for tea. [12]
This activates the slots "house" and "hall-stand." While not
explicitly mentioned, the slots "hall," "bathroom," and
"dining room" are implied, as the described actions
typically occur in these specific spaces. Upon entering a
house, a person usually starts in the hallway (indicated by
the presence of a hallstand, a functional item typically
found there), washes their hands in the bathroom, and
drinks tea in the dining room.
Analyzing textual descriptions of situations occurring in
various spaces has allowed us to identify frames capable of
representing different environments, such as offices,
restaurants, buildings, open-air, town/city, countryside,
sky, land, street, road, and square. Most of these frames can
form oppositional pairs, fitting into the broader system of
the "space" category.
Frames representing spaces consist of concepts tied to real-
world objects. On a paradigmatic level, the lexemes
verbalizing these concepts can serve as names for spatial
areas on a syntagmatic level, regardless of whether they
explicitly relate to the category of "space" or carry other
categorical meanings. This applies primarily to most
furniture slots within the "house" frame.
The process of identifying frames and their slots involves
isolating the objects present in a given space, regardless of
whether they localize other objects or are simply described
as part of the space. For example, Crichton (395):
(98) In the master bedroom, I finally found some human
clutter. One mirrored closet door stood open, and three
expensive party dresses were thrown across the bed. She
had been trying to decide what to wear. On the dresser top
were bottles of perfume, a diamond necklace, a gold Rolex,
framed photographs, and an ashtray with stubbed-out Mild
Seven Menthol cigarettes. [10]
When objects repeatedly appear in descriptions of the same
type of space, the concepts representing those objects
become part of the frame structure for that space. In some
cases, absence is just as telling. If a description emphasizes
the lack of an expected object in a particular space, it
implies that the object is typically part of the frame. For
instance, in the "office" frame, the absence of a carpet
might suggest it is a culturally expected feature: They
entered a small, bare room that looked out onto a blank
wall. There was no carpet. A photograph of a pretty girl
hung on the wall, and there was a pair of handcuffs on the
hat stand...
This office is characterized by the presence of a desk, wall,
photograph, and hat stand, but the explicit mention of the
missing carpet suggests that carpets are culturally typical
for such spaces.
Thus, it can be concluded that the frame "office" should
include the slot "carpet." In addition to relationships within
a single frame, there are also inter-frame relationships
stored in memory. These relationships result from the fact
that different frames incorporate the same linguistic
material, and their scene elements are similar, being
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defined by the same repertoire of entities, relationships, or
substances, as well as contexts of use [Fillmore, 1975].
Our research has shown that almost all frame structures are
characterized by slot overlap. For example, the slot "table"
can appear in frames describing living spaces (dining table,
card table), workspaces (office table, negotiating table),
and public spaces such as restaurants. Similarly, the slot
"tree" is found in frames describing forests or gardens, and
the slot "car" is present in frames like "town/city," "road,"
or "street." Consider the following examples:
The door opened. Compared to the emergency room, the
basement corridors of the county morgue were positively
tranquil. There was a strong odor of formaldehyde. We
went to the desk, where the thin, Harry Landon, was bent
over some papers, eating a ham sandwich. – Crichton: 443
Here, the concept of TABLE, expressed by the lexeme
"desk," appears in the context of the "morgue" frame.
We returned to the sitting room... By the time that we
reached the table the rest of the party had arranged
themselves. On the other side of Captain's empty chair sat
Julia and Mrs. Stuyvesant Oglander; besides them there
was an English diplomat and his wife, Senator Stuyvesant
Oglander, and an American clergyman presently isolated
between two pairs of empty chairs. – Waugh: 280
In this example, the slots "sitting room" and "table" of the
"house" frame are activated.
He left a ten-dollar bill on the table and Mannichon
followed him toward the door, feeling the allure of wealth.
He passed the three wives at the bar. One day soon, he
thought, a woman like that will be waiting for me at the
bar.
Here, the "table" slot is again activated in a different
context.
This
demonstrates
the
flexibility
and
interpenetration of slots across various frames, reinforcing
the idea that certain concepts can transcend multiple spatial
or contextual frameworks.
He shivered deliciously. - Shaw: 134
In this context, the concept of TABLE activates the frame
"restaurant": first, the described subject leaves payment on
the table, which is customary in restaurants and cafes, and
second, the presence of a bar as a separate area within the
space points to a restaurant, as this is a characteristic
feature of such establishments.
When describing space, slots from other, non-spatial
frames are also encountered. For example (Follett: 22):
My chaps don't go behind enemy lines and count bivouacs
like you did.
Here, slots from the "war" frame are embedded into the
spatial situation; however, they are legitimate components
of the described spatial situation since, in this context, they
act as areas of localization, possessing clear spatial
meanings.
CONCLUSIONS
Frames are essential in cognitive linguistics because they
connect language to our mental understanding of the world.
By studying frames, linguists can better understand how
meaning is constructed and interpreted in communication.
The phenomenon of inter-frame connections is partly
explained by the fact that static frames representing human
knowledge about the world—particularly the spatial
representation frames considered here—have the ability to
overlap with each other as knowledge unfolds in discourse.
REFERENCES
Fillmore, C. J. (1982). Frame Semantics. In The Linguistic
Society of Korea (Ed.), Linguistics in the Morning Calm
(pp. 111-137). Seoul: Hanshin Publishing Company.
Goffman, E. (1974). Frame Analysis: An Essay on the
Organization of Experience. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press.
FrameNet
Project.
(n.d.).
Available
at
https://framenet.icsi.berkeley.edu
Langacker, R.W. Foundations of Cognitive Grammar I:
Theoretical
Prerequisites
[Text]/
R.W.Langacker.-
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Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture
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Rosh, E. Principles of Categorization [Text]/ E.Rosh//
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Словарь лингвистических терминов [Электронный
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—
http://ksanak.narod.ru/Book/
Lingvotermin/p.htm - 23.04.2005. - 18:23.
Used literary books:
Crichton, М. Two Complete Novels: Disclosure. Rising
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