Conceptualization of interaction styles in discourse: a diachronic analysis of MODESTY

Abstract

This paper narrows in on the conceptualization of modest communicative behaviour lexicalized in the English language and discourse; in particular, it reconstructs its historical variation. Using online British databases I will first single out the lexical-semantic properties of the concept’s name; then find out the concept’s categorical characteristics; model its cognitive schemata; single out the concept’s discourse realization, the range of cognitive metaphors, and finally trace their changes through history.