Allusion and Its Functions in Distributed Cognition Theory in the English Language and Speech

Abstract

Cognitive studies describe explicit and implicit means of revealing cognitive and linguistic skills. Allusions play a particular role in distributed cognition in language and speech. This research featured the cognitive potential of linguistic allusion in line with the theory of distributed cognition. The authors used the methods of conceptual and contextual analyses to clarify the main research concepts, describe allusion as a cognitive phenomenon, and define its functions. The article covers such issues as the interaction between the speaker and the language within the linguistic eco-system, the concepts of linguistic ecology and ecological linguistics, and the biological approach in linguistics. Allusion appeared to have constitutive and verifying functions. The constitutive function arranged discourse by correlating the information given by the respondent with the additional meanings that occur in the process of communication. The verifying function provided the accuracy of perception. These functions made it possible to use allusion to describe distributed cognition in speech as consisting of three stages: evaluation, correlation, and interaction.