Synopses & Reviews
Introduces the field of cognitive linguistics, presenting its theoretical foundations and the arguments supporting it.
Synopsis
Cognitive Linguistics argues that language is governed by general cognitive principles, rather than by a special-purpose language module. This introductory textbook surveys the field of cognitive linguistics, presenting its theoretical foundations and the arguments supporting it. Clearly organised and accessibly written, it provides a useful introduction to the relationship between language and cognitive processing. It covers the main topics likely to be encountered in a course or seminar, and provides a synthesis of study and research in the field. It will be welcomed by students of linguistics and cognitive science.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: what is cognitive linguistics?; Part I. A Conceptual Approach to Linguistic Analysis: 2. Frames, domains, spaces: the organisation of conceptual structure; 3. Conceptualization and construal operations; 4. Categories, concepts and meanings; Part II. Cognitive Approaches to Lexical Semantics: 5. Polysemy: the construal of sense boundaries; 6. A dynamic construal approach to sense relations I: hyponymy and metonymy; 7. A dynamic construal approach to sense relations II: antonymy and complementarity; 8. Metaphor; Part III. Cognitive Approaches to Grammatical Form: 9. From Idioms to Construction Grammar; 10. An overview of construction grammars; 11. The usage-based model; 12. Conclusion: cognitive linguistics and beyond.