How hearers break a string of sounds up into words

how hearers break a string of sounds up into words and find the grammatical
patterns in that string, what constraints memory places on these processes, why
speech errors happen and so on. In contrast, models of language knowledge
concentrate on describing the knowledge system that underlies these processes.
Models of language processing usually assume a particular model of language
knowledge as a starting point, and place an emphasis on experimental methods.
The models we discuss in this book (cognitive and formal models) are models
of language knowledge. However, because cognitive linguists adopt the usage-
based thesis, the interactional and goal-directed nature of language use is
central to the cognitive model.
4.1.4 Context
The context in which an utterance or usage event is situated is central to the
cognitive explanation. This is particularly true for word meaning, which is
protean in nature. This means that word meaning is rather changeable. While
words bring with them a conventional meaning, the context in which a word is
used has important e ff ects on its meaning. Furthermore, ‘context’ can mean a
number of di ff erent things.
One kind of context is sentential or utterance context . This relates to the
other elements in the string. Consider example (2), where we are focusing in
particular on the meaning of the preposition in :
(2) a. The kitten is in the box.
b. The flower is in the vase.
c. The crack is in the vase.
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AN INTRODUCTION
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These examples involve spatial scenes of slightly di ff erent kinds, where in
reflects a spatial relationship between the figure and the reference object. In
(2a) the figure, the kitten , is enclosed by the reference object, the box , so that
the spatial relationship is one of containment. However, in the other two
examples, in does not prompt for quite the same kind of meaning. In (2b)
the flower is not enclosed by the vase, since it partly protrudes from it.
Equally, in (2c) in does not prompt for a relationship of containment, because
the crack is on the exterior of the vase. As these examples illustrate, the
meaning of in is not fixed but is derived in part from the elements that sur-
round it.
A second kind of context relates not to the other elements in the utterance
itself but to the background knowledge against which the utterance is pro-
duced and understood. Consider example (3):
(3) It’s dark in here.
If said by one caver to another in an underground cavern, this would be
a factual statement relating to the absence of light in the cavern. If uttered by
a linguistics professor to a student who happened to be sitting next to the light
switch in a poorly lit seminar room, this might be a request to turn the light on.
If uttered by one friend to another upon entering a brilliantly lit room, it might
be an ironic statement uttered for the purpose of amusement. As this range of
possible meanings demonstrates, the context of use interacts with the speaker’s
intentions and plays a crucial role in how this utterance is interpreted by the