IMAGE SCHEMAS AND THE AVIATION TERM FLOW

The paper focuses on image schemas and how the meaning of the aviation term ‘flow’ is construed through the principles of Cognitive linguistics. Using corpus data from specialized aviation texts, the term ‘flow’ is analysed through image schemas such as PATH, CONTAINER, SOURCE-PATH-GOAL and FORCE. It is shown that image schemas are activated by prepositions, modifiers, and verbs. The study shows that the aviation term ‘flow’ is semantically rich, and its meaning depends on context. The findings confirm the fact that the meaning of highly specialized terms is shaped by human cognition and embodiment.