Research Article

Exploring the Concept of Objectivity Through Cognitive Grammar and Systemic Functional Linguistics

Yinyun HaoSt Francis’ College*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

The existence of objectivity and the definition of it has always been a vital discussion in many fields, suggesting humans' primitive desire for the present of justness. However, this paper argues that objectivity does not exist through two linguistic theories - stage model and SFL (systemic functional linguistics). By analyzing these two linguistic models discovered by Langacker and Malinowski, it is proven that objectivity is an ideal illusion. For Langacker's stage model, this paper will start with listing the three components of the theory - pragmatic function, context-dependence, and cultural embeddedness, then deconstruct the concept of objectivity through their views. This review will also include SFL's perspectives, also begins with defining three components of the theory - the architecture of the stage model, the critical cognitive process of subjectification, the principle of grounding. After reviewing these two linguistics models and their relationships with the ultimate objectivity, it is proven that all linguistic meaning is subjective.

Keywords: Concept Of Objectivity; Cognitive Grammar; SFL
Published: February 2, 2026
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2026.HT31563
Volume: CHR Vol.102
pp. 120-127
Download PDF

References

  1. Malinowski, B.: Coral Gardens and Their Magic: A Study of the Methods of Tilling the Soil and of Agricultural Rites in the Trobriand Islands, Vol. II. The Language of Magic and Gardening. Allen & Unwin, London (1935)
  2. Langacker, R.W.: Foundations of Cognitive Grammar: Vol. I. Theoretical Prerequisites. Stanford University Press, Stanford (1987)
  3. Langacker, R.W.: Foundations of Cognitive Grammar: Vol. II. Descriptive Application. Stanford University Press, Stanford (1991)
  4. Jakobson, R.: Closing Statement: Linguistics and Poetics. In: Sebeok, T.A. (ed.) Style in Language, pp. 350–377. MIT Press, Cambridge (1960)
  5. Gumperz, J.J.: Discourse Strategies. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1982)
  6. Lakoff, G., Johnson, M.: Metaphors We Live By. University of Chicago Press, Chicago (1980)
  7. Foley, W.A.: Anthropological Linguistics: An Introduction. Blackwell, Oxford (1997)
  8. Weiner, A.B.: Inalienable Possessions: The Paradox of Keeping-While-Giving. University of California Press, Berkeley (1992)
  9. Hanks, W.F.: Referential Practice: Language and Lived Space among the Maya. University of Chicago Press, Chicago (1990)
  10. Tomasello, M.: The Cultural Origins of Human Cognition. Harvard University Press, Cambridge (1999)
  11. Verhagen, A.: Construal and Perspectivization. In: Geeraerts, D., Cuyckens, H. (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Linguistics, pp. 48–81. Oxford University Press, Oxford (2007)
  12. Sinha, C.: Grounding, Mapping, and Acts of Meaning. In: Janssen, T., Redeker, G. (eds.) Cognitive Linguistics: Foundations, Scope, and Methodology, pp. 223–255. De Gruyter Mouton, Berlin (1999)
  13. Kuhn, T.S.: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. 4th edn. University of Chicago Press, Chicago (2012)