Cognitive-Linguistics

CognitiveLinguisticsLanguageandcognition1)Languageisacognitivephenomenon.2)Languagereflectsthehumanmind3)Languageisamatterofconceptualization4)Meaningarisesfromembodiedexperience.5)Languageconveysmeaningswhicharestructuredbyconceptualization.Linguisticexpressions(symbols)aremerelyprompts.1)LanguageisamentalphenomenonLanguageexistsinthemindsofitsspeakers,itreflectswhatthespeakersknowabouttheworld.Thestudyoflanguageisnotsimplyamatterofwhatpeoplesay;instead,itisabouthowpeoplesayandhowisthelinguisticknowledgerepresentedinthemind.2)LanguagereflectsthehumanmindFigure-grounddistinction–Thecatisonthechair.–Thechairisunderthecat.–Thecatdrawsyourattention(cognitivephenomenon)andhenceitisputatthesubjectpositioninthesentence(linguisticphenomenon).3)Languageisamatterofconceptualization4)MeaningarisesfromembodiedexperienceThecatjumpedoverthewall.5)Languageconveysmeaningswhicharestructuredbyconceptualization.Linguisticexpressions(symbols)aremerelyprompts.Therearemanymorethoughtsthanlanguage.Thoughtsareinfinitewhereaslanguageisfinite(i.e.merelypromptsofwhatweCANthinkof)WhatisCognitiveLinguistics?1)CLsubsumesorincludesavarietyofconcerns.CLisNOTasingletheory.Itisacollectionofapproachestothestudyoflanguagewhichincludesanumberofspecificconcernsandtheories.2)Theapproacheshaveacommonbasicoutlook:anintegralfacetofhumancognition.Languageisamatterofthemind.Itisacognitiveactivityandit’srelatedtoorintegratedwithothercognitivefacilitiesthatwehave:thinking,reasoning,perceptionandsoon.Itisanapproachtolanguagethatisbasedonourexperienceoftheworldandthewayweperceiveandconceptualizeit.Construal&ConstrualOperationsConstrualistheabilitytoconceiveandportraythesamesituationinalternatewaysthroughspecificity,differentmentalscanning,directionality,vantagepoint,figure-groundsegregation,etc.ConstrualOperationsareconceptualizingprocessesuseditlanguageprocessbyhumanbeings.Thatis,theyaretheunderlyingpsychologicalprocessesandresourcesemployedintheinterpretationoflinguisticexpressions.ThreetypesofConstrualOperations1.Attention/SalienceIthastodowithourdirectionofattentiontowardssomethingthatissalienttous.Theface/vaseillusionFigure?ground?Figure?ground?Figure/groundFigureformstructuredfrontpromimentGroundformlessunstructuredbehindnotpronimentFigure/ground(byTalmy)Thefigureisamovingorconceptuallymovableobjectwhosesite,path,ororientationisconceivedasavariabletheparticularvalueofwhichisthesalientissue.Thegroundisareferenceobject(itselfhavingastationarysettingwithinareferenceframe)withrespecttowhichthefigure'ssite,path,ororientationreceivescharacterization.图形—背景(byLangacker)Langacker根据感知突显的程度对图形和背景做了如下的论述：“从印象来看，一个情境中的图形是一个次结构，它在感知上比其余部分（背景）要‘显著’些，并且作为一个中心实体具有特殊的突显，情景围绕它组织起来，并为它提供一个环境”Howtoselectfigureandground?Figure/groundreversalNotverycommonHowtoselectfigureandground?Figure/groundsegregationThecommonsituationTheprincipleofprägnanzFiguresmallerholisticmoving普雷格朗茨原则通常是具有完形特征的物体（不可分割的整体）、小的物体、容易移动或运动的物体作为图形CategorizationHowwouldyoudefineDOG?Categorizationisnotcriterial(i.e.notan“all-or-nothing”affair).Humancategoriesappeartobefuzzywithsomemembersofthecategoryappearingtobemorecentral(i.e.moreprototypical)andothersmoreperipheral(i.e.lessprototypical).Thereisadegreeofcentrality.Theprocessofclassifyingourexperiencesintodifferentcategoriesbasedcommonalitiesanddifferences.Threelevels:1.Basiclevel基本层次范畴2.Superordinatelevel上位范畴3.Subordinatelevel下属范畴Categorization范畴化Categorizationisacognitivephenomenonwhichisreflectedinlanguage.Categorizationisoneofthemostfundamentalandpervasivecognitiveactivities.Itisaprocessofabstractionandperception,bywhichdistinctentitiesaregroupedtogetherandtreatedasequivalents.OrwecansayCategorizationbringsstructuretothe“vague,shapelessmass”ofthoughtandsound.ImageSchema(意象图式)Animage-schemaisa“skeletal”mentalrepresentationofarecurrentpatternofembodied(especiallyspatialorkinesthetic)experience.TheyarehighlyschematicrepresentationsofperceptuallygroundedexperienceTheyemergefromourembodiedinteractionswiththeworld.ExamplesofIS:CONTAINMENTExamplesofIS:PATHExamplesofIS:FORCEContainmentSchemaBodilyexperience:humanbodiesascontainers.Structuralelements:interior,boundary,exteriorTheshipiscomingintoview.She’sdeepinthought.Westoodinsilence.MetaphorAfigureofspeechwhichinvolvesanimpliedcomparisonbetweentworelativelyunlikethingsusingaformofbe.Thecomparisonisnotannouncedbylikeoras.Theroadwasaribbonwrappedthroughthedessert.MetaphorFromthetraditionalpointofview,metaphorisarhetoricaltoolcharacterizedbytheschematicformAisB.Itisanimplicitcomparisonoftwoentities.ConceptualMetaphorTheorymetaphorsareactuallycognitivetoolsthathelpusstructureourthoughtsandexperiencesintheworldaroundus.metaphorisaconceptualmapping,notalinguisticone,fromonedomaintoanother,notfromawordtoanother.Example:ARGUMENTISWAR:–Yourclaimsareindefensible.–Heattackedeveryweakpointinmyargument.–Hiscriticismswererightontarget.Targetdomain-whatisactuallybeingtalkedabout.Sourcedomain-thedomainusedasabasisforunderstandingtargetOntologicalcorrespondenceEpistemiccorresponde