Croft William, Cruse Alan D. Cognitive Linguistics

New York : Cambridge University Press, 2004. – 374 p. – ISBN: 0521667704, 9780521667708Cognitive 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 as a distinct area of study, 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 in the human brain. It covers the main topics likely to be encountered in a course or seminar, and provides a synthesis of study and research in this fast-growing field of linguistics. The authors begin by explaining the conceptual structures and cognitive processes governing linguistic representation and behaviour, and go on to explore cognitive approaches to lexical semantics, as well as syntactic representation and analysis, focusing on the closely related frameworks of cognitive grammar and construction grammar. This much-needed introduction will be welcomed by students in linguistics and cognitive science.List of figures.
List of tables.Introduction: what is cognitive linguistics?
Part I: A conceptual approach to linguistic analysis.
Frames, domains, spaces: the organization of conceptual structure.
Arguments for frame semantics.
Concepts: profile-frame organization.
Some consequences of the profile-frame/domain distinction.
Extensions of the basic profile-frame/domain distinction.
Locational and configurational profiles.
Scope of predication.
Relationships between domains.
Domains and idealized cognitive models.
Mental spaces.
Conceptualization and construal operations.Attention/salience.
Selection.
Scope of attention (dominion).
Scalar adjustment.
Dynamic attention.
Judgement/comparison.
Categorization.
Metaphor.
Figure-ground alignment.
Perspective/situatedness.
Viewpoint.
Deixis.
Subjectivity.
Constitution/Gestalt.
Structural schematization.
Force dynamics.
Relationality (entity/interconnection).Categories, concepts and meanings.The classical model of category structure.
The prototype model of category structure.
Graded centrality.
The representation of conceptual categories.
Levels of categorization.
Shortcomings of prototype theory.
The frame-based account of prototype effects.
A dynamic construal approach to conceptual categories.
Category boundaries.
Frames.
Levels of categorization.
The dynamic construal of meaning.
Contextualized interpretation.
Purport.
Constraints.
Construal.
Structural and logical aspects of meaning.
Part I: Concluding remarks.
Part II: Cognitive approaches to lexical semantics.
Polysemy: the construal of sense boundaries.Full sense boundaries.
Homonymy and polysemy.
Entrenchment.
Boundary effects.
The nature of full sense units.
Sub-sense units with near-sense properties.
Facets.
Microsenses.
Ways-of-seeing.
Semantic components and low-autonomy active zones.
Contextual modulation.
Autonomy: summary.
A dynamic construal approach to sense relations I: hyponymy and meronymy.
Hyponymy.
Introductory.
Hyponymy and context.
Relations between lexical items.
Taxonymy.
Lexical aspects of the part-whole relation.
The part-whole relation.
Meronymy.
A dynamic construal approach to sense relations II: antonymy and complementarity.
Oppositeness.
Aspects of the construal of oppositeness.
Main varieties of opposite.
Goodness-of-exemplar in opposites.
Complementarity.
Gradable vs. non-gradable construal of properties.
Profiling against domains.
Antonymy.
A survey of antonym types.
Monoscalar systems: polar antonyms.
Bi-scalar systems.
Variable construal of antonyms and complementaries.
Absolute vs. relative construal.
Scale features.Metaphor.
Figurative language.
The conceptual theory of metaphor.Issues in the conceptual theory of metaphor.
Novel metaphor.
The life history of a metaphor.
How do we recognize metaphors?
Blending Theory and novel metaphors.
Context sensitivity.
Asymmetry of vehicle and target.
Metaphor and simile.
Two types of simile.
Theories of the relation between simile and metaphor.
Metaphor-simile combinations.
Metaphor and metonymy.
Characterizing metonymy.
Metaphor-metonymy relations.
Types of indeterminacy.Part III: Cognitive approaches to grammatical form.
From idioms to construction grammar.The problem of idioms.
Idioms as constructions.
From constructions to construction grammar.
An overview of construction grammars.
Essentials of construction grammar theories.
Grammatical representation: the anatomy of a construction.
The organization of constructional knowledge.
Some current theories of construction grammar.
Construction Grammar (Fillmore, Kay et al.).
Lakoff (1987) and Goldberg (1995).
Cognitive Grammar as a construction grammar.
Radical Construction Grammar.The usage-based model.
Grammatical representation and process.
The usage-based model in morphology.
Entrenchment and representation of word forms.
Regularity, productivity and default status.
Product-oriented schemas.
Network organization of word forms.The usage-based model in syntax.
Type/token frequency, productivity and entrenchment.
Product-oriented syntactic schemas.
Relevance and the organization of construction networks.
The acquisition of syntax and syntactic change.Conclusion: cognitive linguistics and beyond.References.
Author index.
Subject index.