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Abstract: Cognitive linguistics is the interdiscipline of cognitive science and linguistics, studying the interrelationship between language and law of human cognition. This paper mainly introduces its several major subjects, hoping to be helpful for some beginners.
Key Words: cognition; cognitive linguistics; category; metaphor; iconicity
I. Introduction
In recent years cognitive linguistics has grown rapidly at home and abroad, and has gradually turned into the major school of linguistics. On the basis of non-objectivist philosophy, it extensively assimilates the research findings and analytical methods of the disciplines studying humans’ cognitive activities. It integrates the research ways of language typology and functional linguistics, depicting and elaborating the constitution of human language.
II. The Major Subjects of Cognitive Linguistics
1. category and prototype
In the light of human cognitive experiences, categories are classified into several levels: basic-level category, superordinate-level category, and subordinate-level category. Human experiences are all oriented toward the basic-level category which links the interplay among man, nature, and society most directly, so they can mirror objective world most effectively.
In addition, the categorization of cognitive process involves concept and theory of prototype which refers to the best member or the typical representative within a category, whereas other members possess different degrees of typicality. Prototype is constructed to be a reference point of cognition, its boundary extending outward in terms of the members’ typicality degrees, then an uncertain greater category may be produced.
2.metaphor
In 1980 Lakoff and Johnson issued a book presenting the theory of cognitive metaphor and setting off the upsurge of metaphor study from the perspective of cognitive linguistics. They observed metaphor exists among all kinds of languages, and claimed metaphor is everywhere in our daily life, and the general conceptual system we access to consider and to behave is metaphorical in nature. Metaphor is not a linguistic phenomenon, but a cognitive phenomenon; it is the most important feature of our abstract thinking, making it possible for us to interpret much of the abstract thinking. Metaphors are sorted into three classes by them: structural metaphor, orientational metaphor and ontological metaphor, respectively. To explain how the meaning of metaphor arises, there are three disparate theories abroad: Richard and Black’s interaction theory, Lakoff and Johnson’s mapping theory, and Fauconnier’s blending theory. 3. iconicity
Iconicity points to the natural connection between linguistic structure and our experience structure. The iconicity of linguistic signs is conveyed most obviously in syntactic structure, mainly in the three aspects: iconic sequencing, iconic proximity and iconic quantity. Haiman expanded iconicity principles from lexicon to sentence structure, concluding that iconicity of syntax exceeds iconicity of lexicon, in that there is a certain degree of arbitrariness in the relation of a word and an object while the syntagmatic relation of two words reflects our experiential structure to a larger extent.
4. grammaticalization
Grammaticalization examines source and solidification of grammatical forms. Undoubtedly cognitive linguistics attaches importance to grammaticalization, for it sees synchronic language phenomena from diachronic changes, construes grammatical rules from laws of language evolution, and seeks the effects that linguistic cognition and changes have on modern languages. At present grammaticalization study lies in two fields: one is grammaticalization of content words, that is the evolvement from content words to delexical grammatical constituents; another is lexicalization that syntactic structure solidifies gradually into phrases.
III. Conclusion
Cognitive linguistics involves a wide range of disciplines, with abundant research content and novel subjects, and bears the unparalleled advantages compared with other linguistic theories. Therefore, we need not only comprehend its basic principles, but also apply them to analyze the branches of linguistics, directing at the hot issues which have just emerged in cognitive linguistics.
Key Words: cognition; cognitive linguistics; category; metaphor; iconicity
I. Introduction
In recent years cognitive linguistics has grown rapidly at home and abroad, and has gradually turned into the major school of linguistics. On the basis of non-objectivist philosophy, it extensively assimilates the research findings and analytical methods of the disciplines studying humans’ cognitive activities. It integrates the research ways of language typology and functional linguistics, depicting and elaborating the constitution of human language.
II. The Major Subjects of Cognitive Linguistics
1. category and prototype
In the light of human cognitive experiences, categories are classified into several levels: basic-level category, superordinate-level category, and subordinate-level category. Human experiences are all oriented toward the basic-level category which links the interplay among man, nature, and society most directly, so they can mirror objective world most effectively.
In addition, the categorization of cognitive process involves concept and theory of prototype which refers to the best member or the typical representative within a category, whereas other members possess different degrees of typicality. Prototype is constructed to be a reference point of cognition, its boundary extending outward in terms of the members’ typicality degrees, then an uncertain greater category may be produced.
2.metaphor
In 1980 Lakoff and Johnson issued a book presenting the theory of cognitive metaphor and setting off the upsurge of metaphor study from the perspective of cognitive linguistics. They observed metaphor exists among all kinds of languages, and claimed metaphor is everywhere in our daily life, and the general conceptual system we access to consider and to behave is metaphorical in nature. Metaphor is not a linguistic phenomenon, but a cognitive phenomenon; it is the most important feature of our abstract thinking, making it possible for us to interpret much of the abstract thinking. Metaphors are sorted into three classes by them: structural metaphor, orientational metaphor and ontological metaphor, respectively. To explain how the meaning of metaphor arises, there are three disparate theories abroad: Richard and Black’s interaction theory, Lakoff and Johnson’s mapping theory, and Fauconnier’s blending theory. 3. iconicity
Iconicity points to the natural connection between linguistic structure and our experience structure. The iconicity of linguistic signs is conveyed most obviously in syntactic structure, mainly in the three aspects: iconic sequencing, iconic proximity and iconic quantity. Haiman expanded iconicity principles from lexicon to sentence structure, concluding that iconicity of syntax exceeds iconicity of lexicon, in that there is a certain degree of arbitrariness in the relation of a word and an object while the syntagmatic relation of two words reflects our experiential structure to a larger extent.
4. grammaticalization
Grammaticalization examines source and solidification of grammatical forms. Undoubtedly cognitive linguistics attaches importance to grammaticalization, for it sees synchronic language phenomena from diachronic changes, construes grammatical rules from laws of language evolution, and seeks the effects that linguistic cognition and changes have on modern languages. At present grammaticalization study lies in two fields: one is grammaticalization of content words, that is the evolvement from content words to delexical grammatical constituents; another is lexicalization that syntactic structure solidifies gradually into phrases.
III. Conclusion
Cognitive linguistics involves a wide range of disciplines, with abundant research content and novel subjects, and bears the unparalleled advantages compared with other linguistic theories. Therefore, we need not only comprehend its basic principles, but also apply them to analyze the branches of linguistics, directing at the hot issues which have just emerged in cognitive linguistics.
