Modality and Mood in Cognitive Linguistics and Construction Grammars

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronny Boogaart ◽  
Egbert Fortuin
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Construction Grammar ◽  
Detailed Account ◽  
Cognitive Grammar ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Modal Verbs ◽  
Force Dynamics ◽  
Mental Spaces

From the start of cognitive linguistics, in the 1980s, researchers working within this framework have given ample attention to mood and modality. This is understandable since these categories crucially involve speaker attitude and perspective and cognitive linguistics has always concerned itself with the ways in which language users present a subjective construal of reality. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of how mood and modality are analyzed within different strands of cognitive linguistics, ranging from the models of force dynamics and Mental Spaces to Cognitive Grammar. Specific topics discussed include the polysemy of modal verbs, the analysis of tense as modality, and the highly detailed account of modal verbs offered by Langacker in terms of “grounding” and “subjectivity”. The emerging framework of construction grammar focuses on the linguistic contexts, that is constructions, in which modal forms are used, regarding these as constraints on polysemy.

scholarly journals THEORETICAL PROBLEMS OF COGNITIVE STYLISTICS

2020 ◽  
pp. 122-133
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Cognitive Semantics ◽  
Cognitive Grammar ◽  
Main Attention ◽  
Conceptual Integration ◽  
Conceptual Information ◽  
Cognitive Metaphor ◽  
Methods Of Analysis ◽  
Cognitive Principles ◽  
Mental Spaces

The article is devoted to the theoretical problems of cognitive stylistics. The formation of stylistic trend in cognitive linguistics is determined by common theoretical postulates and some notions (interpretation, conceptual information, foregrounding and so on), and it is also due to the possibility of using and creative refraction of some notions and methods of analysis developed in cognitive linguistics, as applied to stylistic investigations. The main attention is paid to the cognitive principles of distributing information in the text, cognitive basis of stylistic devices, also great attention is paid to the theory of cognitive metaphor, mental spaces and conceptual integration. In the article it is also proved that there are all grounds to examine cognitive stylistics as one of the significant trends of cognitive linguistics as well as cognitive semantics and cognitive grammar.

Fossilized mistakes in Spanish relative clauses learned by Chinese students

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
María Guijarro Sanz
Keyword(s):  
Teaching Methods ◽  
Relative Clauses ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Construction Grammar ◽  
Cognitive Grammar ◽  
Restrictive Relative Clauses ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This article demonstrates how Cognitive Grammar and Construction Grammar can prevent Chinese students learning Spanish from fossilizing mistakes in restrictive relative clauses at the A2-B1 level of the European Framework of Reference for Languages. To address this issue, first, relative clauses in Spanish and Chinese were contrasted and, second, tailored solutions based on Cognitive Grammar were proposed. Among the cognitive based tailored solutions, certain geometry forms, colours and basic mathematics metaphors were compared with syntactic characteristics such as noun order, subordination hierarchy or resumption. To elucidate the impact of such teaching methods, an experiment with 74 Chinese students was performed. The results indicate that the efficacy of the proposed materials is statistically significant and as such, the Chinese students avoid fossilized mistakes while producing subject, object and locative relative clauses in Spanish.

The grammar of temporal motion: A Cognitive Grammar account of motion metaphors of time

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuomas Huumo
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Cognitive Grammar ◽  
Grammatical Structure ◽  
Tense And Aspect ◽  
Metaphorical Meaning ◽  
Motion Event ◽  
Metaphor Theory ◽  
Temporal Function ◽  
Motion Verb ◽  
Metaphorical Expression

AbstractRecent groundbreaking work in cognitive linguistics has revealed the semantic complexity of motion metaphors of time and of temporal frames of reference. In most approaches the focus has been on the clause-level metaphorical meaning of expressions, such as Moving Ego (We are approaching the end of the year) and Moving Time (both Ego-centered, as in The end of the year is approaching and field-based, as in Boxing Day follows Christmas Day). The detailed grammatical structure of these metaphorical expressions, on the other hand, has received less attention. Such details include both elements that contribute to the metaphorical meaning and those that have a non-metaphorical temporal function, e. g., tense and (central features of) aspect. I propose a model for the analysis of metaphorical expressions, building on earlier work in Conceptual Metaphor Theory and the framework of Cognitive Grammar (CG). I approach the grammatical structure of metaphorical expressions by analyzing the interplay between veridical and metaphorical systems of expressing temporal relations. I argue that these systems relate to two relevant conceptualizations of time. Veridical time (VT) is the non-metaphorical conceptualization of time, where the processual profile of the clause-level metaphorical expression resides. A metaphorical path (MP) is the metaphorical conceptualization of time as a path occupied by the metaphorical motion. A motion metaphor of time tracks the mover’s changing position on the MP against VT. I show how metaphorical expressions based on a motion verb differ from those based on a prepositional construction in grammatical and semantic terms, and how tense and aspect contribute to the conceptualization of the motion scenario. I argue that tense grounds the metaphorical motion event with respect to the speech event. All the participants in the motion event, as well as the metaphorical path itself, are present in each subsequent configuration tracked against VT by the conceptualizer. Thus tense has a wide scope over the motion scenario with Ego’s ‘now’ as a reference point, while Ego’s ‘now’ cannot serve for grounding of tense. This is why expressions such as *The meeting is difficult ahead of us are not acceptable.

scholarly journals The Linguistics of Imaginary Narrative Spaces in Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-61
Author(s):  
Ньюман Джон
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
English Language ◽  
Cognitive Grammar ◽  
Cognitive Poetics ◽  
Cambridge University ◽  
Oxford University ◽  
Daphne Du Maurier ◽  
The University ◽  
Narrative Spaces

Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 novel Rebecca provides rich opportunities for the study of imaginary narrative spaces and the language associated with such spaces. The present study explores the linguistics of the imaginary narrative spaces in Rebecca, drawing upon three lines of linguistic research consistent with a Cognitive Linguistic approach: (i) an interest in understanding and appreciating ordinary readers’ actual responses (rather than merely relying upon “expert” readers’ responses), (ii) the construction of worlds or “spaces”, and (iii) the application of ideas from Cognitive Grammar. The study reveals a surprisingly intricate interplay of linguistic devices used in the construction of imaginary narrative spaces and the maintenance of such spaces in extended discourse. References Armitt, L. (2000). Contemporary women’s fiction and the fantastic. New York: St. Martin’s Press. Beauman, S. (2003). Afterword. In Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca (pp. 429-441). London: Virago Press. Biber, D., Johansson, S., Leech, G., Conrad, S., & Finnegan, E. (Eds.) (1999). Longman grammar of spoken and written English. Harlow, UK: Pearson Education Limited. Birch, D. (2007). Addict of fantasy. The Times Literary Supplement, 5447-5448, 17-18. Dancygier, B. (2012). The language of stories: A cognitive approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Dancygier, B. (2017a). Introduction. In B. Dancygier (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of cognitive linguistics (pp. 1-10). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Dancygier, B. (2017b). Cognitive Linguistics and the study of textual meaning. In B. Dancygier (Ed.) The Cambridge handbook of cognitive linguistics (pp. 607-622). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Du Maurier, D. (2012). Rebecca. London: Virago Press. Emmott, C. (1997). Narrative comprehension: A discourse perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Evans, V., & Green, M. (2006). Cognitive linguistics: An introduction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Fauconnier, G. (1985). Mental spaces: Aspects of meaning construction in natural language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Forster, M. (1993). Daphne Du Maurier. London: Chatto & Windus. Gavins, J. (2007). Text world theory: An introduction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Hadiyanto, H. (2010). The Freudian psychological phenomena and complexity in Daphne Du Maurier’s “Rebecca” (A psychological study of literature). LITE: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Dan Budaya 6(1), 14-25. Available at: https://publikasi.dinus.ac.id/index.php/lite/article/ view/1348/1014. Harrison, C., Nuttall, L., Stockwell, P., & Yuan, W. (Eds.) (2014). Cognitive grammar in literature. Amsterdam & New York: John Benjamins. Harrison, C., & Stockwell, P. (2014). Cognitive poetics. In J. Littlemore and J. R. Taylor (Eds.), The Bloomsbury companion to cognitive linguistics (pp. 218-233). London: Bloomsbury. Horner, A., & Zlosnik, S. (1998). Writing, identity, and the Gothic imagination. London: Macmillian. Huddleston, R. (2002). The verb. In R. Huddleston & G. K. Pullum (Eds.), The Cambridge grammar of the English language (pp. 71-212). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Kelly, R. (1987). Daphne du Maurier. Boston: Twayne Publishers. Lakoff, G., & Turner, M. (1989). More than cool reason: A field guide to poetic metaphor. Chicago & London: The University of Chicago Press. Langacker, R. W. (1991). Foundations of cognitive grammar. Vol. II: Descriptive application. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Leech, G. N. (1969). A linguistic guide to English poetry. London: Longman Group Limited. Margawati, P. (2010). A Freudian psychological issue of women characters in Daphne Du Maurier’s novel Rebecca. LANGUAGE CIRCLE: Journal of Language and Literature IV(2), 121-126. Available at: https://journal.unnes.ac.id/nju/index.php/LC/article/viewFile/900/839 Naszkowska, K. (2012). Living mirror: The representation of doubling identities in the British and Polish women’s literature (1846–1938). Doctoral dissertation, The University of Edinburgh. Palmer, F. R. (1974). The English verb. London: Longman Group Limited. Stockwell, P. (2002). Cognitive poetics: An introduction. London & New York: Routledge. Turner, M. (1996). The literary mind. New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press. Turner, M. (2015). Blending in language and communication. In E. Dąbrowska & D. Divjak (Eds.), Handbook of cognitive linguistics (pp. 211-232). Berlin & Boston: de Gruyter Mouton. Werth, P. (1999). Text worlds: Representing conceptual space in discourse (M. Short, Ed.). Harlow, UK: Longman. Wilde, O. (1996). The picture of Dorian Gray. In The complete Oscar Wilde: The complete stories, plays and poems of Oscar Wilde (pp. 11-161). New York: Quality Paperback Book Club. Winifrith, T. J. (1979). Daphne du Maurier. In J. Vinson (Ed.), Novelists and prose writers (Great writers of the English language) (pp. 354-357). New York: St. Martin’s Press.

scholarly journals La concettualizzazione del verbo ‘mettere’ in italiano

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Paliczuk
Keyword(s):  
Visual Perception ◽  
Natural Language ◽  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Cognitive Grammar ◽  
Conceptual Structures ◽  
Conceptual Relations ◽  
Linguistic Structures

The conceptualization of space is manifested in language through diverse linguistic structures. Space, one of the most significant analytical categories not only in linguistics, introduces a variety of senses and conceptual relations in the construction of communicative meaning. While there are several approaches to linguistic studies, the most obvious choice for this type of analysis seems to be Cognitive Linguistics, with some of its theoretical currents and the Cognitive Grammar of Ronald W. Langacker (1987, 1991a, 1991b, 1995, 2008) in particular. In his works, Langacker often refers to spatial and visual relationships that provide useful illustrations to depict different conceptual structures and relationships. Indeed, the relations between visual perception and conceptualization concerns numerous aspects of the semantics of natural language (E. Tabakowska, 1999: 59). The paper aims to analyse the concept of the Italian verb ‘mettere’ (‘to put’), apparently simple and yet, as it will be shown, rich and varied in meaning.

Framing constructicography

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans C. Boas ◽  
Benjamin Lyngfelt ◽  
Tiago Timponi Torrent
Keyword(s):  
Construction Grammar ◽  
Frame Semantics ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
And Function ◽  
Computational Resources

Abstract Constructicography can be defined as a blend between Construction Grammar and Practical Lexicography, which aims at developing constructicons: repositories of form and function pairings in a language. In this paper, we present a comprehensive overview of this emerging field by (i) tracking the origins of both Frame Semantics and Construction Grammar and the repercussions of their intertwined developments to Computational Lexicography and Constructicography; (ii) comparing the impacts of the different degrees of interconnection between constructicons and framenets and (iii) discussing the possible applications of these resources. Also, we argue that Constructicography, while obviously building on the accumulated knowledge compiled by numerous Construction Grammar approaches to language, also contributes to its mother theory, since the effort to build coherent formalized computational resources forces constructionist analysis to go beyond describing families of constructions into the enterprise of describing a coherent construction grammar of a language.

scholarly journals Applied cognitive linguistics and foreign language learning. Introduction to the special issue

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Hijazo-Gascón ◽  
Reyes Llopis-García
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Cognitive Grammar ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Second Languages

Abstract This introduction provides an overview of the intersection between Applied Cognitive Linguistics and Second/Foreign Language Learning. First, the relevance of Cognitive Linguistics (CL) for Applied Linguistics in general is discussed. The second section explains the main principles of CL and how each relates to the acquisition of second languages: (i) language and human cognition, (ii) language as symbolic, (iii) language as motivated; and (iv) language as usage-based. Section three offers a review of previous literature on CL and L2s that are different from English, as it is one the main aims of this Special Issue to provide state-of-the-art research and scholarship to enhance the bigger picture of the field of Second Language Acquisition beyond English as the target language. Spanish as L2/FL in Applied Cognitive Linguistics is the focus of the next section, which leads to a brief overview of the papers included in the Issue, featuring Spanish as the L2 with L1s such as English, French, German and Italian. Polysemy, Motion Events Typology, Cognitive Grammar and Construction Grammar are the Cognitive Linguistics areas addressed in the contributions here presented.

Moving along paths in space and time

2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 721-751
Author(s):  
TUOMAS HUUMO
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Extended Period ◽  
Cognitive Grammar ◽  
Grammatical Function ◽  
Daylight Saving ◽  
Time Path ◽  
Metaphor Theory ◽  
Individual Entity ◽  
Path Expression ◽  
Motion Verb

In cognitive linguistics, motion metaphors of time (e.g.Christmas is approaching, We left the crisis behind) have been actively studied during the last decades. In addition to motion verbs, prepositional expressions are an important element in such metaphors. This work combines insights from Cognitive Grammar and Conceptual Metaphor Theory to account for uses of English path prepositions in motion metaphors of time. It is argued that such expressions conceptualize time as a path where amoveris advancing. The nature of themovervaries: it can be an individual entity metaphorically in motion (e.g.We wentTHROUGHa hard winter), an extended period of time (e.g.The period of Daylight Saving Time goes onPASTSeptember), or the temporal profile of a process (e.g.I sleptTHROUGHthe afternoon). The nature of themovercorrelates with the grammatical function of the path expression, which alternates between a complement of a motion verb and a free modifier. Accordingly, the time path can relate with figurative (motion-related) or veridical (duration-related) conceptualizations of time. While a spatial path is direction-neutral, a time path can, with few exceptions, only be scrutinized in the earlier$\rightarrow$later direction.

Rule and Construction: The Transitivity of Resultatives in English

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-130
Author(s):  
Yuzhi Shi
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Construction Grammar ◽  
Surface Structures ◽  
Semantic Relationship ◽  
Resultative Construction ◽  
Lexical Items

The resultative construction has been one of the focuses in exploring the interfaces between semantics and syntax. In the generativist tradition, constructions are regarded as the surface structures that are generated by a set of phrasal rules. In cognitive linguistics, especially the approach of construction grammar, constructions are viewed as the fixed pairings of forms and meanings that are regarded as symbolic like lexical items. This article argues that constructions are schemas determined by certain rules, and a set of subconstructions may be produced by a base construction. The article shows that the transitivity of the resultative construction is governed by the semantic relationship between the verb and the resultative phrase, which in turn determines concrete syntactic configurations. Grammar constructions consisting of two or more elements are essentially different from those atomic lexical items, a point distinguishing my analysis from construction grammar. Without the assumption of any underlying structures, unlike the generativist model, this article uncovers the surface rules that determine concrete constructions.

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