Cognitive symmetry of aspectual oppositions in the English language (based on the Continuous, Perfect, and Perfect Continuous groups)

The research aims to identify the cognitive symmetrical foundation in the formation of opposing aspectual meanings of tense-aspect grammatical constructions representing the aspectual groups Continuous, Perfect, and Perfect Continuous. The article investigates the metaphorical complex that forms the basis for generating aspectual meanings of tense-aspect verb forms and examines the cognitive mechanisms underlying the contrast of aspectual meanings in the grammatical system of the English language. The research is novel in that it is the first one to reconstruct the figurative component of the aspectual meanings of the Continuous, Perfect, and Perfect Continuous groups as the basis for their opposition. As a result, it was found that the formation of the core oppositional semantic components of tense-aspect grammatical constructions of the aspectual groups Continuous, Perfect, and Perfect Continuous is based on contrasting imagery, characterized by a single-plane or two-plane opposition of figurative elements. It is precisely contrasting images that contribute to the symmetrical opposition of key semantic components of the aspectual meanings represented in the analyzed groups.