Coexpression and synexpression patterns across languages: comparative concepts and possible explanations

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Lexical Semantics
• Grammar

Background:

• Meanings and linguistic forms exhibit complex relationships, not always one-to-one.
• Existing terms like ambiguity, polysemy, and colexification describe these phenomena.
• A systematic framework is needed to analyze these across the grammar-lexicon continuum.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce novel terminology for linguistic phenomena where meanings and forms do not uniquely map.
• To extend the concept of colexification with terms such as cogrammification, coexpression, syllexification, syngrammification, and synexpression.
• To systematically chart these phenomena and explore potential explanations for coexpression and synexpression patterns.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis and terminology extension.
• Systematic charting of linguistic phenomena across the grammar-lexicon continuum.
• Exploration of explanatory factors for coexpression and synexpression.

Main Results:

• Novel terms like cogrammification, coexpression, syllexification, syngrammification, and synexpression are proposed.
• These terms facilitate a systematic analysis of meaning-form mapping irregularities.
• Frequency of occurrence is identified as a key factor in explaining synexpression patterns.

Conclusions:

• The proposed terminology provides a structured approach to understanding linguistic variation in meaning-form relationships.
• Further research can investigate the generalizability of explanations for coexpression and synexpression.
• Frequency is a significant element in understanding synexpression phenomena.