The Space of Error: A Semantic Exploration of The Interaction Between Mental Space Theory and Misunderstanding in Kid's Short Stories

Abstract

This study examines the semantic mechanisms underlying misunderstanding in kid's short stories through the framework of Mental Space Theory (MST). Misunderstanding, frequently employed as a crucial plot element in juvenile literature, acts as a natural laboratory for investigating cognitive processes where interlocutors fail to create congruent mappings between temporary conceptual packets. Utilizing the frameworks developed by Fauconnier and Turner, this study investigates how changes in perspective, failures in reference tracking, and differing scope attachments within narrative mental spaces lead to semantic discord, which is then interpreted by the young reader. The study adopts a qualitative discourse analysis methodology on a chosen corpus of kid's short stories, illustrating instances where characters' cognitive spaces conflict. The findings indicate that writers intentionally leverage the inherent complexity of space creation (particularly Projection and Belief spaces) to generate predictable, yet narratively impactful, breakdowns in communication. This semantic exploration reveals that misunderstanding is not simply a lack of meaning, but rather a structurally traceable intersection of competing, temporarily active conceptual frameworks.