Linguo-cognitive and quantitative approaches to the study of emotional lexis

Abstract

The investigation of emotional lexis has become one of the most significant directions in contemporary linguistic research due to the increasing interest in the interaction between language, cognition, and human emotional experience. Within the anthropocentric paradigm, emotional vocabulary is regarded not merely as a collection of lexical units denoting feelings but as a linguistic manifestation of conceptual knowledge and cultural experience. Consequently, the study of emotional lexis requires the integration of diverse theoretical and methodological approaches. This article examines the theoretical foundations of linguo-cognitive and quantitative approaches to the study of emotional lexis. Particular attention is paid to the role of conceptualization, categorization, frame semantics, and conceptual metaphor theory in revealing the cognitive nature of emotional vocabulary. The paper also discusses the contribution of quantitative and statistical methods to identifying lexical regularities, semantic patterns, and the systematic organization of emotional language. It is argued that the integration of qualitative and quantitative approaches provides a comprehensive methodological framework for the investigation of emotional lexis and expands the possibilities for modern linguistic and literary studies.