The Relationship between Cognitive Schemas and Grammatical Structures in Kurdish: A Cognitive Semantic Approach

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the relationship between cognitive schemas and grammatical structures in the Kurdish language. Cognitive schemas, understood as mental patterns derived from embodied and spatial experiences, play a crucial role in the formation and organization of meaning. In Kurdish, these schemas are reflected through grammatical and syntactic constructions, and their interpretation cannot be achieved without reference to the grammatical system of the language. Adopting the framework of Cognitive Semantics, this research examines key image schemas as represented in selected Kurdish texts. The analysis reveals that each schema correlates with specific grammatical patterns, such as the use of prepositions, motion verbs, temporal and directional adverbs, and comparative constructions. For instance, Kurdish compound verbs are especially prominent in expressing the Force schema, while adjectives and comparative adverbs most clearly represent the Scale schema. The findings suggest that Kurdish grammar functions not merely as a combinatory system of words, but as a cognitive mechanism reflecting human spatial and conceptual experiences. Consequently, understanding Kurdish grammatical structures without considering cognitive schemas provides an incomplete picture of how meaning is constructed in the language. The first part of the paper discusses theoretical concepts related to the linguistics of perception and the explanation of schemas, how meaning is formed in the human brain. In the second part, we will examine Kurdish with several sentences to show the relationship between these schemas and the grammatical structures of Kurdish. In the final section, it is concluded that Kurdish grammar is not just a set of rules, but a reflection of human experiences and mental understanding of the world.