MULTIPLE CATEGORISATION OF EXPLANATORY TROPOLOGY IN CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH-LANGUAGE POPULAR SCIENCE DISCOURSE: SEMANTIC AND COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE

Yan Ya. Samosiienko

Email: yanstudduan@gmail.com

ORCID ID: 0009-0003-9361-2718

PhD student,

National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/StudLing2025.27.135-156

PDF (UKRAINIAN)

ABSTRACT

This paper investigates the phenomenon of multiple categorisation of the explanatory tropology in present-day English-language popular science discourse. It examines how figurative components of analogy-based tropes and figures of speech – primarily metaphors and similes – interrelate categorically when used for explanation in this discourse. The analysis of Anglophone popular science texts on brain functioning and neurocognitive dynamics identified a range of explanatory metaphors.These metaphors were classified according to the semantic properties of their source domains into four (sub)categorical groups based on conceptual and/or axiological oppositions: discreteness/compositeness; statics/dynamics; constructedness (artificiality) / naturalness; and positive/negative evaluation. The application of logical-semantic, semantic-stylistic, and conceptual analyses revealed that the source domains involved in explanatory tropology often exhibit flexible categorical boundaries, showing traits of two or more (sub)categories. This suggests the presence of complex tropological layering in the examined texts. The findings imply that the variability of explanatory tropology, as a key resource for disseminating scientific knowledge, significantly enhances the impact of popular science discourse on its audiences. Its use provides a basis for multifaceted interpretation of complex information and contributes to the formation of personalised epistemic experiences for readers. The study argues that the multiple categorisation of explanatory tropology in present-day popular science discourse emerges from the interaction of several factors, among which readers’ subjective perception of imagery plays a crucial role. Overall, the results advance understanding of the semantic and cognitive mechanisms underlying discourse explanatoriness and create opportunities for further research into how tropology interacts with mental strategies in constructing popular science discourse across different modalities.

Key words: explanatoriness, popular science discourse, tropology, analogy, metaphor, categorisation, category, multiplicity.

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