Cognitive Grammar

A Basic Introduction

Ronald Langacker (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

584 Seiten

2008
Oxford University Press Inc (Verlag)
978-0-19-533196-7 (ISBN)

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This lucid and authoritative introduction to Cognitive Grammar presents the theory and its rationale in careful, systematic detail. Its application to central domains of language structure makes a compelling case that grammar is inherently meaningful. The book holds great interest for linguists, linguistics students, and professionals.

This book fills a long standing need for a basic introduction to Cognitive Grammar that is current, authoritative, comprehensive, and approachable. It presents a synthesis that draws together and refines the descriptive and theoretical notions developed in this framework over the course of three decades. In a unified manner, it accomodates both the conceptual and the social-interactive basis of linguistic structure, as well as the need for both functional explanation and explicit structural description. Starting with the fundamentals, essential aspects of the theory are systematically laid out with concrete illustrations and careful discussion of their rationale. Among the topics surveyed are conceptual semantics, grammatical classes, grammatical constructions, the lexicon-grammar continuum characterized as assemblies of symbolic structures (form-meaning pairings), and the usage- based account of productivity, restrictions, and well-formedness. The theory's central claim - that grammar is inherently meaningful - is thereby shown to be viable. The framework is further elucidated through application to nominal structure, clause structure, and complex sentences. These are examined in broad perspective, with exemplification from English and numerous other languages. In line with the theory's general principles, they are discussed not only in termsof their structural characterization, but also their conceptual value and functional motivation. Other matters explored include discourse, the temporal dimension of language structure, and what grammar reveals about cognitive processes and the contruction of our mental world.

Still professionally quite active, Ronald W. Langacker retired after 37 years as Professor of Linguistics at the University of California, San Diego. He was originally trained in generative linguistics, and worked for a decade on the Uto-Aztecan family of Native American languages. Since 1976 he has been developing the theory of Cognitive Grammar (a radical alternative to generative theory) as part of the broader tradition of cognitive linguistics.

Part I PRELIMINARIES
1: Orientation
2: Conceptual Semantics
3: Construal
Part II FUNDAMENTALS
4: Grammatical Classes
5: Major Subclasses
6: Constructions: General Characterization
7: Constructions: Descriptive Factors
8: Rules and Restrictions
Part III STRUCTURES
9: Grounding
10: Nominal Structure
11: Clause Structure
12: Complex Sentences
Part IV FRONTIERS
13: Discourse
14: Engaging the World
References

Erscheint lt. Verlag	21.4.2008
Zusatzinfo	numerous figures
Verlagsort	New York
Sprache	englisch
Maße	232 x 158 mm
Gewicht	794 g
Themenwelt	Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Allgemeine Psychologie
	Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Verhaltenstherapie
	Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft ► Sprachwissenschaft
ISBN-10	0-19-533196-6 / 0195331966
ISBN-13	978-0-19-533196-7 / 9780195331967
Zustand	Neuware