Concept and category: on the problem of denotation (case study: category of assertion in the English language)

The article is focused on the detailed study of two basic notions in cognitive linguistics - «concept» and «category» and their definition as exemplified by the mode category of ASSERTION in Modern English. Concept represents a certain sense as elementary unit of thinking that deals with subjective interpretations as well as has objective characteristics; most of concepts are present in the language under different names appealing to the same referent. Concepts are national and unique. Categories are structures of the most general order: as forms of thinking, they carry out classification of received experience. In language, they exist as a group of language units of various levels grouped on the same basis. Categories are universal and exist in language regardless of a person's experience. Detailed study of dictionaries and corpuses of Modern English revealed the main features of ASSERTION as concept and category. As category, ASSERTION is as a group of language units of different levels (words, clichés, word combinations, etc.) that are related to each other on the basis of degree of assurance and truthfulness of what is being said. In the form of thinking, it exists as set of knowledge of a basic concept and its characteristics, related concepts and the categorical situation. As concept, ASSERTION - is a categorical, truthful statement (process as well as result), that the speaker believes.