The meaning of "nature": Insights from cognitive linguistics

The field of cognitive linguistics studies how language and concepts are related to underlying processes of the human mind. In this paper, I explore some ideas from cognitive linguistics that might help us understand how people use the concept of nature. The concept of nature appears to have a radial structure, in which many different variations of meaning arise from a central, basic definition. The basic meaning of "nature" can be represented in a simple idealized cognitive model, which is mapped onto situations in various ways. Alternative definitions for a "natural" environment or system may be combined in a cluster model, giving rise to prototype effects. Recognizing that there is a common basis of meaning and a common conceptual structure underlying many different senses of the word "nature" may help us in understanding how people experience natural environments, and in communicating and negotiating new understandings of the human-nature relationship.