Associative relations in vocabulary

Words can be grouped on the basis of such extralinguistic factor as associations. The criterion of the grouping of this kind is a psycholinguistic one. Associative connections are revealed in psycholinguistic experiment. They can be paradigmatic and syntagmatic. One of the methods to arrange the socio-cultural and individual associations is a frame (it’s a term of cognitive linguistics).

Frame (mental frame)is an arranged set of characteristics and relations of social reality, verbalized (worded) by language means. Frame is knowledge about typical situations. Social and individual experience can be viewed in the frame form. Frame in a certain way structures knowledge essential for comprehension by means of interrelated word groups. Frame is a minimal description which can distinguish an object from the surrounding world. Frame describes a typical succession of actions in a stereotype situation.

Structurally frame can be represented as a net, consisting of knots and connections between them. Frame consists of a topic and slots (terminals). These knots (slots, terminals) indicate at the roles (functions) which should be performed by role performers. The examples of frame are buying and selling, wedding, сrime and punishment, theatre, trade, etc. (Diagram 11).

Diagram 11. Frame “Transaction”