science

Invariance principle (linguistics)

Invariance principle (linguistics) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Invariance principle (linguistics) rather than just read about it. In short: In cognitive linguistics, the invariance principle is a simple attempt to explain similarities and differences between how an idea is understood in "ordinary" usage, and how it is understood when used as a conceptual metaphor. Kövecses (2002: 102) provides the following examples based on the semantics of the English verb to give: She gave him a book.

Key takeaways

Invariance principle (linguistics) belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Invariance principle (linguistics) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Invariance principle (linguistics) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In cognitive linguistics, the invariance principle is a simple attempt to explain similarities and differences between how an idea is understood in "ordinary" usage, and how it is understood when used as a conceptual metaphor. Kövecses (2002: 102) provides the following examples based on the semantics of the English verb to give:

She gave him a book. (source language) Based on the metaphor CAUSATION IS TRANSFER we get:

(a) She gave him a kiss. (b) She gave him a headache. However, the metaphor does not work in exactly the same way in each case, as seen in:

(a') She gave him a kiss, and he still has it. (b') She gave him a headache, and he still has it. The invariance principle offers the hypothesis that metaphor only maps components of meaning from the source language that remain coherent in the target context. The components of meaning that remain coherent in the target context retain their "basic structure" in some sense, so this is a form of invariance. George Lakoff and Mark Turner originated the idea under the name invariance hypothesis, later revising and renaming it. Lakoff (1993: 215) defines the invariance principle as: "Metaphorical mappings preserve the cognitive topology (that is, the image-schema structure) of the source domain, in a way consistent with the inherent structure of the target domain".

See also Figure of speech Metonymy Trope (linguistics)

References

Bibliography Barcelona, Antonio (2003). Metaphor and metonymy at the crossroads: a cognitive perspective. Second edition. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 3-11-017556-8 Glucksberg, Sam and Matthew S. McGlone (1999). "When love is not a journey[link removed]: What metaphors mean". Journal of Pragmatics 31: 1541–1558. [abstract only] Kövecses, Zoltán (2002). Metaphor: a practical introduction. Oxford University Press US. ISBN 0-19-514511-9 Lakoff, George. "The contemporary theory of metaphor" Lakoff, George. "What is a conceptual system" Lakoff, George and Mark Johnson (1980). Metaphors we live by. Lakoff, George and Mark Turner (1989). More than cool reason: a field guide to poetic metaphor. Yü, Ning (1998). The contemporary theory of metaphor: a perspective from Chinese. John Benjamins Publishing Company. ISBN 1-55619-201-0

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Invariance principle (linguistics)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Invariance principle (linguistics) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Invariance principle (linguistics) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Invariance principle (linguistics) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Invariance principle (linguistics)

In research: Invariance principle (linguistics) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Invariance principle (linguistics) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Invariance principle (linguistics) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Metaphor, Semantics, Semantics stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Invariance principle (linguistics) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Invariance principle (linguistics) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Invariance principle (linguistics) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Invariance principle (linguistics) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Invariance principle (linguistics) in simple terms?

Why does Invariance principle (linguistics) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Invariance principle (linguistics)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Invariance principle (linguistics).