Cognitive grammar is a cognitive approach to

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

developed by Ronald Langacker, which hypothesizes that grammar, semantics, and lexicon exist on a continuum instead of as separate processes altogether. This approach to language was one of the first projects of

cognitive linguistics Cognitive linguistics is an interdisciplinary branch of linguistics, combining knowledge and research from cognitive science, cognitive psychology, neuropsychology and linguistics. Models and theoretical accounts of cognitive linguistics are cons ...

. In this system, grammar is not a formal system operating independently of meaning. Rather, grammar is itself meaningful and inextricable from semantics.

Construction grammar Construction grammar (often abbreviated CxG) is a family of theories within the field of cognitive linguistics which posit that constructions, or learned pairings of linguistic patterns with meanings, are the fundamental building blocks of human ...

is a similar focus of cognitive approaches to grammar. While cognitive grammar emphasizes the study of the cognitive principles that give rise to linguistic organization, construction grammar aims to provide a more descriptively and formally detailed account of the linguistic units that comprise a particular language. Langacker first explicates the system of cognitive grammar in his seminal, two-volume work ''Foundations of Cognitive Grammar''. Volume one is titled "Theoretical Prerequisites", and it explores Langacker's hypothesis that grammar may be deconstructed into patterns that come together in order to represent concepts. This volume concentrates on the broad scope of language especially in terms of the relationship between grammar and semantics. Volume two is titled "Descriptive Application", as it moves beyond the first volume to elaborate on the ways in which Langacker's previously described theories may be applied. Langacker invites his reader to utilize the tools presented in the first volume of ''Foundations'' in a wide range of, mainly English, grammatical situations.

Theory

Cognitive grammar is unorthodox with respect to

generative grammar Generative grammar is a research tradition in linguistics that aims to explain the cognitive basis of language by formulating and testing explicit models of humans' subconscious grammatical knowledge. Generative linguists, or generativists (), ...

s and American structuralism. It primarily diverges from Chomskyan tradition through its assertion that grammar and language are integral and essential parts of cognition, not merely autonomous processes in the brain. Langacker argues not only that cognitive grammar is natural by virtue of its psychological plausibility, but also that it offers conceptual unification and theoretical austerity. It considers the basic units of language to be

symbol A symbol is a mark, Sign (semiotics), sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, physical object, object, or wikt:relationship, relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by cr ...

s (i.e. conventional pairings of a

semantic Semantics is the study of linguistic Meaning (philosophy), meaning. It examines what meaning is, how words get their meaning, and how the meaning of a complex expression depends on its parts. Part of this process involves the distinction betwee ...

structure with a

phonological Phonology (formerly also phonemics or phonematics: "phonemics ''n.'' 'obsolescent''1. Any procedure for identifying the phonemes of a language from a corpus of data. 2. (formerly also phonematics) A former synonym for phonology, often prefer ...

label). Grammar consists of constraints on how these units can be combined to generate larger phrases. The semantic aspects of cognitive grammar are modeled as image schemas rather than

proposition A proposition is a statement that can be either true or false. It is a central concept in the philosophy of language, semantics, logic, and related fields. Propositions are the object s denoted by declarative sentences; for example, "The sky ...

s, although these schema are only demonstrative, and are not intended to reflect any actual visual operation occurring during the production and perception of language. A consequence of the interrelation between semantic structure and phonological label is that each can invoke the other.

References

* Langacker, Ronald W. (1982) 'Space Grammar, Analysability, and the English Passive', ''Language'', 58, 1, 22-80. * Langacker, Ronald W. (1987) ''Foundations of Cognitive Grammar'', Volume 1, ''Theoretical Prerequisites''. Stanford: Stanford University Press. * Langacker, Ronald W. (1990) ''Concept, Image, and Symbol: The Cognitive Basis of Grammar''. (Cognitive Linguistics Research 1.) Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter. aperback edition 1991* Langacker, Ronald W. (1991) ''Foundations of Cognitive Grammar'', Volume 2, ''Descriptive Application''. Stanford: Stanford University Press. * Langacker, Ronald W. (2008) ''Cognitive Grammar: A Basic Introduction''. New York: Oxford University Press. * Sattonnet, Marie-Cécile. ''Étude comparée de la Grammaire Cognitive de Ronald W. Langacker et des grammaires énonciatives.'' (Thèse de Doctorat). ANRT, 2001 * Taylor, John R. (2002) ''Cognitive Grammar''. Oxford Textbooks in Linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Notes {{Authority control Generative linguistics Semantic theories

Theory

See also

References