Applications of conceptual blending: Headlines and their implicatures

Abstract: One of the claims of cognitive linguistics is that it is able to remove the semantic-pragmatic divide (cf. Evans & Green 2006), and yet the research conducted by in this field is at times criticized for focusing on word/phrase meaning (semantics) rather than their intended illocutionary force (pragmatics) (cf. Glebkin 2013; Pérez Hernández 2002; Ritchie 2004). A case in point is the criticism of conceptual blending for its apparent failure to acknowledge that the multiplicity of implied meanings emerging from the blend differ depending on variables such as discourse context, speaker/hearer culture, frames, intonation, and gesture. As a result, a growing collection of research has included additions to and modifications of the original Fauconnier and Turner diagram (cf. Coulson 2001; Ruiz de Mendoza & Peña Cervel 2002; Omazić 2005; Stadlemann 2012). This study analyses several of the proposed modifications of the conceptual blending model and applies them to the interpretation of headlines. Headlines provide an ideal source for analysis of implicature as the article itself provides context and commentary. This paper will discuss the effectiveness of allowing for frames, grounding, or additional input spaces in explaining the headline’s pragmatic effect. It is hoped that this paper will contribute to the development of cognitive pragmatics as a field of study in its own right.