Abstract
This paper deals with the English cognate object constructions in the framework of cognitive grammar established by Langacker (1987, 1991). Based on the seminal analysis by Langacker, the analysis here not only accounts for the characteristics of the phenomena but also reveals that the cognate object's usual construal as an instance of the activity designated by the verb varies by virtue of modification. Moreover, it is proposed that there are at least two possibilities for the construal of cognate objects, construal as an instance of an activity (i.e. as an event) or else as a type of activity. Furthermore, it is shown that the present analysis will enable us to account for some problems related with construal and transitivity.
