Constructing the meanings of personal pronouns

Langacker, Ronald W.

doi:10.1075/z.136.12lan

In:Aspects of Meaning Construction
Edited by Günter Radden, Klaus-Michael Köpcke, Thomas Berg and Peter Siemund
[Not in series 136] 2007
► pp. 171–187

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Constructing the meanings of personal pronouns

Ronald W. Langacker | University of California San Diego

Published online: 11 April 2007

https://doi.org/10.1075/z.136.12lan

The meanings of personal pronouns are described using basic notions of Cognitive Linguistics. Among these notions are subjective vs. objective construal, profiling, grounding, intersubjectivity, paths of mental access, and conceptual blending. Pronouns are situated with respect to other strategies of nominal grounding. It is explained how personal pronouns can be used impersonally, and the meaning of impersonalit is characterized. Special attention is devoted to I and you. Their abstracted conceptual meanings invoke very basic cognitive models pertaining to the ground, a speech event, and subject vs. object of conception. With these models as inputs, the pronouns’ meanings are constructed through successive levels of blending. The crucial factor is intersubjectivity.

Keywords: blending, definiteness, delimitation, grounding, impersonal, intersubjectivity, nominal structure, pronoun, proper name, reference point, subject/object of conception, vantage point

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This list is based on CrossRef data as of 24 november 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.