scholarly journals COGNITIVE GRAMMAR IN AN ENGLISH CLASSROOM, OR, HOW TO MAKE LIFE FOR RUSSIAN STUDENTS EASIER

2013 ◽  
pp. 83-89
Author(s):  
A. V. Kravchenko
Keyword(s):  
Simple Algorithm ◽  
Cognitive Grammar ◽  
Cognitive Approach ◽  
Tense And Aspect ◽  
Grammar Acquisition ◽  
Efl Teacher ◽  
Functional Logic ◽  
English Classroom ◽  
And Function ◽  
Metalinguistic Knowledge

Every EFL teacher who teaches native speakers of Russian knows that the main roadblocks encountered in the classroom pertain to acquisition of articles, prepositions, and grammatical forms of the verb. With regard to articles, the situation is clear: as there are none in Russian, the student needs to understand their role and function in English. It's a bit different with prepositions: even though there are prepositions in Russian, their number and usage in English very often cause confusion. Finally, as far as the so-called tenses go – which are, in fact, tense-aspect forms – many students experience difficulties in developing necessary skills for a simple reason. Being used to the three tenses in Russian (the present, the past, and the future), they are often incapable of understanding the organizational and functional logic of a system which comprises twelve forms in the active voice. With this in mind, the problem of tense acquisition is shown to be rooted in inadequate metalinguistic knowledge pertaining to the meaning and function of the categories of tense and aspect in Russian. Since cognitive structures underlying these grammatical categories are grounded in perceptual experience and are similar in both languages, a cognitive approach, by using the native language as scaffolding, allows the student to benefit from a simple algorithm for choosing a tense in discourse. This radically facilitates grammar acquisition, eliminating many imaginary difficulties. The described approach to instructed tense–aspect acquisition has been successfully used by the author and his disciples and colleagues in educational institutions of different levels for over twenty years, proving to be much more efficient than traditional techniques.

The relation and function of discourses: a corpus-cognitive analysis of the Irish abortion debate

Corpora ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-130
Author(s):  
Kim-Sue Kreischer
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Cognitive Grammar ◽  
Cognitive Approach ◽  
Abortion Debate ◽  
Functional Differences ◽  
Discourse Relations ◽  
Abortion Access ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Church ◽  
Insight Into

Collocation analysis has proved useful in identifying discourses in media texts about people, events and situations. While corpus methods can tell us about the existence and frequency of discourses, they are unable to give insight into the function they play in a text. I argue that we can illuminate how discourses are conceptualised and used argumentatively in relation to other discourses by drawing on cognitive linguistics. Such discourse relations form the basis of ideologies and argumentative viewpoints. In this paper, I use a corpus–cognitive approach, employing collocational analysis and the ‘trajector/landmark’ alignment from Cognitive Grammar ( Langacker, 1987 , 1991 , 2008 ) to analyse the discourses of the concept words mother, woman and church in the Irish debate on abortion access after the death of Savita Halappanavar in 2012. This reveals relational and functional differences between the discourses of these three words (e.g., the discourses voiced about a mother differ when texts also concern the Church). I argue that the use of a corpus–cognitive approach reflects language in use and allows us to see how related discourses function to create ideological viewpoints.

World-switch and mind style in The Barracks: a cognitive approach to ideology

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-59
Author(s):  
Salvador Alarcón-Hermosilla
Keyword(s):  
Figurative Language ◽  
World View ◽  
Cognitive Grammar ◽  
Irish Society ◽  
Frame Semantics ◽  
Cognitive Approach ◽  
Conceptual Metaphor Theory ◽  
Minor Characters ◽  
Metaphor Theory ◽  
Linguistic Level

Abstract The aim of this paper is to take a close look at John McGahern’s mind style through the language of the heroine Elizabeth Reegan and other characters, in his 1963 novel The Barracks. Specifically, attention will be drawn to how the linguistic choices shape the figurative language to cast the author’s controversial views on the religion-pervaded puritan Irish society that he knew so well. This will be done from two different perspectives. One perspective is through the breast cancer afflicted heroine, who asserts herself as a free thinker and a woman of science, in a society where priests have a strong influence at all social levels, and most women settle for housekeeping. The other is also through Elizabeth, together with other minor characters, who dare question some of the basic well-established ideological assumptions, in a series of examples where the author skilfully raises two parallel dichotomies, namely, FAITH versus REASON, and DARKNESS versus LIGHT. At a linguistic level, the present analysis relies on precepts from Frame Semantics, Conceptual Metaphor Theory, and Cognitive Grammar. These insights prove a most useful method of approach to a narrative text while unearthing the author’s ideological world view.

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 A cognitive approach to teaching deictic motion verbs to German and Italian students of Spanish

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-95
Author(s):  
Marina Anna Colasacco
Keyword(s):  
First Language ◽  
Cognitive Grammar ◽  
Motion Verbs ◽  
Processing Instruction ◽  
Cognitive Approach ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
The Third ◽  
Students First ◽  
Approach To Teaching ◽  
Method Of Instruction

AbstractIn this study we compare two instruction approaches (cognitive and traditional) to the teaching of Spanish deictic motion verbs –ir, venir, llevarandtraer– to German and Italian learners. We also analyse whether the students’ first language (Italian or German) influences the results of the cognitive methodology we applied. The Cognitive Instruction combined the basic principles of Cognitive Grammar with those of Processing Instruction for activities in which students practice both comprehension and production. We carried out a survey of 274 university students who were learning Spanish (Level B1) at universities in Italy and Germany. Students carried out a test prior to receiving the instruction and three tests subsequently, one immediately afterwards, the second a week later and the third, a month later. The cognitive methodology proved to be beneficial and positive. The students who received cognitive instruction made better form-meaning connections and showed higher performances in the use of deictic motion verbs than those who received traditional instruction. The learners’ L1 did not appear to influence the results of the groups that received the cognitive method of instruction.

scholarly journals Cognitive Approach to Word Formation

2013 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Lina Inčiuraitė
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Analysis ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Word Formation ◽  
Cognitive Grammar ◽  
Cognitive Approach ◽  
Cognitive Domains ◽  
Linguistic Unit ◽  
Cognitive Semantic ◽  
General Meaning ◽  
Derivational Morphemes

Structural approach to word formation in Lithuanian is still dominant, meanwhile cognitive insights have not been applied yet. The object of this paper is the aspects of cognitive grammar to word formation. In the article, cognitive semantic notions and their application to the morphological analysis of cognitive grammar are introduced.In the cognitive theory of grammar, symbolicity plays a significant role. The essence of cognitive grammar is based on the idea that language units are bipolar language signs. A linguistic unit consists of phonological and semantic poles which are linked by a symbolic structure.A category is a network of meanings of a derivational morpheme, which, as in the case of lexical category, is structured in terms of prototype and periphery. The prototype of a category is considered to be the most typical member, whereas other senses of the prototype comprise the periphery.Morphological expressions are closely related to each other and comprise cognitive domains. A domain is perceived as knowledge in terms of which derivational morphemes can be interpreted.Compositionality is a process when the composite structure is determined by the meanings of its constituents. This process plays an integral part in understanding the senses of new morphological expressions. Full and partial compositionality types are typical of morphological expressions. In compounding, full compositionality is endocentric, meanwhile partial compositionality is exocentric.A large number of units are pertinent to each other by schema and instance relations. A schema is defined as a general model made of instances. The schema reflects the general meaning of instances. Due to further elaboration the instance becomes a basis for a new schema and its elaborating elements become new instances.

Why cognitive grammar works in the L2 classroom

AILA Review ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 72-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reyes Llopis-García
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Cognitive Grammar ◽  
Processing Instruction ◽  
Cognitive Approach ◽  
Communicative Intent ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Series Of Experiments ◽  
Mood Selection

This paper presents a series of experiments that tested the usefulness of teaching Spanish mood using an approach to Cognitive Grammar specifically developed for the foreign language classroom: Operational Grammar. Mood selection is one of the most difficult aspects of learning Spanish as a FL, and it is one of the last features acquired. It is unquestionably complex, involving issues of subordination, alternation, and speaker’s communicative intent. This complexity has been amplified by the traditional approach to mood, which has changed little over the last 50 years. The alternative presented here sees language as a symbolic representation of the speaker’s mental model of the world. Grammar is closely linked to this model as the tool used in class to help learners communicate meaning through form. This enables them to understand how native speakers choose to communicate. Language, then, portrays an outcome of the speaker’s own selection, guided by communicative intent and not as part of a taxonomic set of rules. The empirical study showed that the combination of a cognitive approach to mood with a Processing Instruction methodology had positive effects on how the students identified mood selection in both input and output learning situations.

scholarly journals The subjunctive, a marker of 'subordinance'? A comparison between German and Spanish

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Jörg Busch
Keyword(s):  
Tense And Aspect ◽  
Communicative Functions ◽  
Contextual Elements ◽  
And Function ◽  
Inflectional Paradigms ◽  
Matrix Verb

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Moods as inflectional paradigms can only have a very general value and function, similar to other verbal categories such as tense and aspect. A comparison with German shows that the subjunctive functions as a marker of subordination and signals that the proposition in which it stands is incomplete and must be interpreted with the help of other contextual elements, for example the meaning of the main or matrix verb, a characteristic that has also been called procedural. Therefore only the indicative can be used to express independent statements. All the communicative functions of the subjunctive, for example to express politeness, will be explained as a result of its procedural character. The article clarifies why the subjunctive is also used with factual propositions, for example after verbs of emotions and ‘aunque’. (37,402 characters with spaces)</span></p>

scholarly journals Phenomenological Consciousness as a Topos of Human Existence Sense Variation in the World (Based on Plural Derivatives of The Theme + Suffix “Ada” Structural Type of the Spanish Word-Building Subsystem)

2020 ◽  
pp. 83-107
Author(s):  
Eleonora Shevkun
Keyword(s):  
Structural Type ◽  
Human Existence ◽  
World Knowledge ◽  
Cognitive Approach ◽  
Spanish Word ◽  
Building Models ◽  
Conceptual Organization ◽  
Topological Field ◽  
And Function ◽  
Derivatives Of

The article is devoted to the analysis of constitution and regular reproduction of the Spanish word-building models based on the reconstruction of invariance / means of explicitness topoi and distinguishing various abstractions of consciousness: phenomenological, empirical and socio-genesis. The description and analysis into the noematic senses constituting the topological field of phenomenological consciousness as a form of human existence world knowledge were made. The acts of noematic meaning prospectivization into means of intelligibility / context of sense-invariants of discrete intentionality were analyzed.The cognitive approach in modern linguistics focuses on the isolation of knowledge representation structures in their linguistic forms, conceptual organization of knowledge in the processes of understanding and generation of messages. At the same time, its attention is riveted to the question of what structures of consciousness the word corresponds to, and which role it plays in human speech and thinking.Nowadays, reflection on the facts of language tends to deploy the interparadigmatic method of study, combining theories and directions of scientific cognition, found far away from each other. The greatest challenge for the researcher is to determine the range and boundaries of interparadigmality in terms of likelihood / adequacy of its application to the specifics of language material. Furthermore, in our view, the value of linguistic research also determines the "feedback" factor, under which analysis of the linguistic material may serve as a specific argument for confirming / refuting the propositions of several philosophical theories and function as "Ariadne‘s thread of " bringing together philosophy and linguistic reflection.

scholarly journals Conceptualization of Persian Relative Structure in Cognitive Grammar

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1255-1267
Author(s):  
Sahel Khoshbakht ◽  
Arsalan Golfam ◽  
Alie Kord Zaferanloo Kamboozia ◽  
Ferdows Aghagolzadeh
Keyword(s):  
Point Of View ◽  
Cognitive Grammar ◽  
Cognitive Approach ◽  
Analytical Methodology ◽  
Modern Approach ◽  
Language Structure ◽  
Conceptual Organization ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Relative Structure ◽  
Grammar Model

Abstract In the cognitive approach to linguistics, language is considered as a part of the cognitive system which mirrors the conceptual organization as well as the world within the speakers' mind. According to this view, the outside world experience is reflected in the language structure and language forms. This modern approach includes a variety of principles, perspectives, assumptions and models, among which the Cognitive Grammar Model is recognized as the most noticeable one. This grammar considers a symbolic nature for a language which symbolizes the meaning and thought. On the other hand, relativization as a notion in every individual's mind and cognition is considered as a universal manifested in all languages. Thus, the present research   tries to clarify the conceptualization and symbolization of Persian relative structure from the cognitive point of view and by the use of cognitive means. It, also studies different types of relative structures in Persian, on the basis of Langacker (2008) model and differentiates the restrictive and non-restrictive relative clauses in Persian. The methodology used in the analysis of this research is the descriptive-analytical methodology. For the data collection, the corpus methodology is used and examples of Persian relative structures are studied. The present research findings show that Persian conceptualization of the relative structures can be clarified in the cognitive approach and Persian relative structures can be studied on the basis of Langacker model.

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