MENTAL LEXICON FROM A COGNITIVE LINGUISTIC PERSPECTIVE

This article examines the concept of the mental lexicon from the perspective of cognitive linguistics. It explores how lexical knowledge is organized, stored, and accessed through conceptual structures and cognitive processes rather than as isolated linguistic units. Particular attention is given to categorization, semantic networks, frame semantics, conceptual metaphor, and cognitive grammar as theoretical foundations for explaining the organization of the mental lexicon. The findings demonstrate that lexical knowledge is dynamic, experience-based, and closely connected with conceptualization and human cognition. The study highlights the importance of cognitive linguistic approaches for psycholinguistics, language acquisition, discourse analysis, translation studies, and artificial intelligence.