Küljemõisted

Küljemõisted, often translated as "side concepts" or "lateral concepts," refers to a linguistic and cognitive phenomenon where the meaning of a word or phrase is influenced by its surrounding linguistic context. This concept is not about a single, fixed definition of a word but rather how its meaning is fluid and adapted based on how it is used in a sentence or discourse.

The understanding of küljemõisted involves recognizing that words do not exist in isolation. Their semantic boundaries are flexible, and they can acquire nuances, connotations, or even slightly different denotations depending on the other words they appear with. For example, the word "bank" can refer to a financial institution or the edge of a river, and the surrounding words clearly indicate which meaning is intended. This contextual disambiguation is a core aspect of küljemõisted.

This phenomenon is crucial for natural language processing and artificial intelligence, as systems need to interpret language as humans do, understanding these contextual shifts. It also plays a role in literature and rhetoric, where authors may intentionally use words in slightly unexpected contexts to create specific effects or evoke particular emotions. The study of küljemõisted delves into how these contextual cues shape our comprehension and interpretation of language, highlighting the dynamic and adaptive nature of meaning.