Word-formation in the context of multi-disciplinary cognitive paradigm

Traditional structure-oriented analysis of derivatives does not comply with the requirements of the new cognitive paradigm of linguistic knowledge, which incorporates knowledge gained within different sciences. Word-formation serves the explication of human cognitive potential, which originates from linguistic personality's individual and collective experience. The analysis of -er, -ee, -ant / -ent and -ist revealed that the considered affixes which are characterized by close semantic links can objectify cognitive structures with similar meanings although the derivatives with these suffixes are characterized by a wide degree of polysemy. Thus, any concrete derivational mechanism objectifies the act of thought production in a verbal-sign form. Specificity and regularity of major operations with knowledge structures in mental space of a linguistic personality are represented in the basic derivational mechanisms which take place in a lexico-semantic subsystem of this or that language. The results of this research indicate the inseparable connection of derivational processes with the idea of a language as a mental phenomenon, focusing on organizing, processing and transferring information. Cognitive word-formation analysis of derivatives can represent the basis for our knowledge organization at the junction of «language» and «thought».