Everything about Cognitive Linguistics totally explained
In
linguistics and
cognitive science,
cognitive linguistics (CL) refers to the school of linguistics that understands language
creation, learning, and usage as best explained by reference to human
cognition in general. It is characterized by adherence to three central positions. First, it denies that there's an
autonomous linguistic faculty in the mind; second, it understands grammar in terms of
conceptualization; and third, it claims that knowledge of language arises out of
language use.
Cognitive linguists deny that the
mind has any module for language-acquisition that's unique and autonomous. This stands in contrast to the work done in the field of
generative grammar. Although cognitive linguists don't necessarily deny that part of the human linguistic ability is innate, they deny that it's
separate from the rest of cognition. Thus, they argue that knowledge of linguistic phenomena — for example, phonemes, morphemes, and syntax — is essentially
conceptual in nature. Moreover, they argue that the storage and retrieval of linguistic data isn't significantly different from the storage and retrieval of other knowledge, and use of language in understanding employs similar cognitive abilities as used in other non-linguistic tasks.
Departing from the tradition of
truth-conditional semantics, cognitive linguists view meaning in terms of conceptualization. Instead of viewing meaning in terms of models of the world, they view it in terms of mental spaces.
Finally, cognitive linguistics argues that language is both
embodied and
situated in a specific
environment. This can be considered a moderate offshoot of the
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, in that language and cognition mutually influence one another, and are both embedded in the experiences and environments of its users.
Areas of study
Cognitive linguistics is divided into three main areas of study:
Aspects of cognition that are of interest to cognitive linguists include:
Construction grammar and cognitive grammar.
Conceptual metaphor and conceptual blending.
Image schemas and force dynamics.
Conceptual organization: Categorization, Metonymy, Frame semantics, and Iconicity.
Construal and Subjectivity.
Gesture and sign language.
Linguistic relativism.
Cognitive neuroscience.
Related work that interfaces with many of the above themes:
Computational models of metaphor and language acquisition.
Psycholinguistics research.
Conceptual semantics, pursued by generative linguist Ray Jackendoff is related because of its active psychological realism and the incorporation of prototype structure and images.
Cognitive linguistics, more than generative linguistics, seeks to mesh together these findings into a coherent whole. A further complication arises because the terminology of cognitive linguistics isn't entirely stable, both because it's a relatively new field and because it interfaces with a number of other disciplines.
Insights and developments from cognitive linguistics are becoming accepted ways of analysing literary texts, too. Cognitive Poetics, as it has become known, has become an important part of modern stylistics. The best summary of the discipline as it's currently stands is Peter Stockwell's Cognitive Poetics.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Cognitive Linguistics'.
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