The Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Linguistics Part 31. In the past decade, Cognitive Linguistics has developed into one of the most dynamic and attractive frameworks within theoretical and descriptive linguistics The Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Linguistics is a major new reference that presents a comprehensive overview of the main theoretical concepts and descriptive/theoretical models of Cognitive Linguistics, and covers its various subfields, theoretical as well as applied. | 270 LEONARD TALMy Consider the English verb pry as in 3a . Analysis shows that certain semantic components are part of the meaning of pry and must all be matched in the referent situation for this verb to apply to it. If any component does not fit the situation a speaker must switch to some lexical neighbor of pry. A series of alterations to the situation reveals the essential components. Thus if there is a one-foot board stuck vertically to a wall with a handle near the top and I tug on the handle I cannot say 3a but rather something like 3b . Sentence 3a becomes acceptable here if instead of using the handle I levered the board away from the wall. Accordingly one semantic component essential to the use of pry is that the force for removal of a Figure object from a Ground object comes from a third object inserted and pivoted between them. But now say that I do insert and pivot a lever between them so that the board comes away from the wall but the board is hinged at the bottom and had been loosely upright against the wall. I now must say something like 3c . Sentence 3a again becomes appropriate only if the Figure is fixed to the Ground and resists removal the second essential component. But these two components are still not enough. Let us now say that the board is fixed to the wall and that I use a lever between them but the board comes away from the wall all at once. A more apt sentence is now that in 3d . Sentence 3a now becomes apt again only if the Figure moves gradually and progressively away from the Ground because it has some flexibility a third essential component. But now say that instead of a board a wide foot-long strip of masking tape is stuck to the wall and that I am progressively removing it with a lever inserted between the tape and the wall. Now I must say something like 3e . A fourth essential component is thus that the Figure must be rigid though with enough give to be somewhat flexible . What should here be noticed in this whole analysis is .
