Pragmatic Considerations in Song Interpretation - Construal and Background Knowledge

The aim of the present article is to show that such concepts from cognitive linguistics as aspects of construal, semantic frames and idealised cognitive models can be applied for the analysis of rock song lyrics. The article describes the results of a survey in which respondents interpreted lyrics of a rock song and arrived at its different interpretations, often different from the one intended by the song writer. The author attempts to account for those different interpretations, relying on concepts from cognitive linguistics and cognitive poetics.