Prefixes and prototypes: Contrasting the English verbal prefix un- and Bosnian raz-

Abstract: Prefixation is traditionally studied and regarded as the process of word formation. However, in this paper we try to approach the issue of prefixation from a different perspective. This paper describes the semantic structure of the verbal prefix UN- in English and one of its Bosnian counterparts RAZ- within the theoretical and methodological framework of cognitive linguistics. The first part of the paper gives a brief theoretical account of relevant issues: categorization, prototype theory, and polysemy. The second part of the paper presents the analysis of semantic structure of the verbal prefix UN- in English and the verbal prefix RAZ- in Bosnian. In this paper, we will try to provide a cognitively based account of the meanings of the prefixes mentioned. The sub-meanings will also be given within a cognitive prototype model together with the meaning extensions which are achieved through the mechanisms of conceptual metaphor and metonymy.