32.3628, Review: Cognitive Science: Dancygier (2021)

Tue Nov 16 18:14:30 UTC 2021

LINGUIST List: Vol-32-3628. Tue Nov 16 2021. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 32.3628, Review: Cognitive Science: Dancygier (2021)

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Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2021 13:13:58
From: Anais Auge [anais_a at outlook.fr]
Subject: The Cambridge Handbook of Cognitive Linguistics

Discuss this message:
http://linguistlist.org/pubs/reviews/get-review.cfm?subid=36730537

Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/32/32-1252.html

EDITOR: Barbara  Dancygier
TITLE: The Cambridge Handbook of Cognitive Linguistics
PUBLISHER: Cambridge University Press
YEAR: 2021

REVIEWER: Anais Auge, Université de Lorraine

SUMMARY

The field of cognitive linguistics explores the intriguing association between
languages and thoughts. Scholars have observed the relevance of such an
association in a plurality of linguistic phenomena, without limitation to
particular linguistic modes, cultures, or discourse situations. This has given
rise – and still gives rise – to a multitude of new approaches to thoughts and
languages which aim to address the research gaps appearing in the past works
produced by cognitive linguists and scientists. Examples of such gaps may be
related to the absence of attested language data in the work of Lakoff and
Johnson (1980), or the claim that linguistic properties may be “universal”
(Chomsky 1986; 2000), disregarding culture-specific patterns. Present-day
scholars have responded to these claims with an increasing reliance on
corpora, language data, and references to the social, cultural, and
ideological functions of languages. This handbook offers an exhaustive
overview of recent approaches to cognitive linguistics. It encompasses diverse
research perspectives which demonstrate how cognitive linguistics can
contribute to other linguistic approaches such as discourse analysis, corpus
linguistics, computational analysis, cultural studies, psycholinguistics, and
pragmatics (to name a few). Each of the 41 chapters presented in this volume
demonstrates a different way linguists can adapt the questions addressed in
cognitive linguistics to solve new linguistic problems. These also take into
account the contributions associated with different approaches to linguistics,
and explore the relevance of the cognitive perspective to supplement these
existing approaches. In what follows, I will summarize the chapters following
the six main parts of the handbook. This brief catalog of the 41 chapters will
give an overview of the large variety of questions related to cognitive
linguistics, as they are addressed in this volume.  

In the first part of the handbook, Language in Cognition and Culture,
Casasanto (ch. 2) documents the link between language and cognition with a
focus on mental and linguistic metaphors. Rice (ch. 3) offers a review of the
studies related to indigenous languages, and shows how these languages have
opened new research perspectives in the field of cognitive linguistics (and
vice versa). De Ruiter and Theakston (ch. 4) demonstrate how cognitive
linguistics can uncover the processes associated with first language
acquisition. Tyler (ch. 5) illustrates how cognitive linguistics may be
applied to second language learning and teaching with reference to metaphor,
embodiment (i.e., bodily experiences), polysemy, and construal (i.e., the
ability to take different perspectives).

The second part of the handbook is dedicated to the link between language and
the body, and to multimodal communication. For instance, Wilcox and Occhino
(ch. 7) analyse signed language and demonstrate how cognitive linguistics can
be applied to signed language, just like it is applied to other modes of
language. Cooperrider and Goldin-Meadow (ch. 8) highlight the significant role
of gestures in communication and convincingly demonstrate a link between
gestures and cognition. Feyaerts, Brone, and Oben (ch. 9) focus on two
approaches – interactional linguistics and multimodal meaning analysis. They
show how these two approaches can merge to produce new insights into the field
of cognitive linguistics. Vandelanotte (ch. 10) focuses on viewpoints, i.e.,
in Vandelanotte’s words: “a conceptualizer in a discourse event assuming a
position toward an element within a described situation or knowledge
structure” (p. 158). He explains how viewpoints can adjust language use,
studied through its embodied, multimodal, and interactional aspects. Zlatev
(ch. 11) explores the central role of body movements for social cohesion and
meaning construction and comprehension. Boogaart and Reuneker (ch. 12)
illustrate the argumentative characteristics of grammatical constructions in
intersubjective communication. 

The third part of the handbook offers an overview of the various approaches to
linguistic analysis. Nathan (ch. 14) focuses on how the main framework of
cognitive linguistics can be applied to phonology, and describes the
contribution of phonological studies to cognitive linguistics. Booij (ch. 15)
shows how cognitive analysis can be used to explain grammatical and
morphological constructions. Taylor (ch. 16) analyses the interactions between
the meanings of words, the discourse situations, and the co-texts, which leads
him to investigate the mental processes at play in the construction of
meaning. Langacker (ch. 11) offers an exhaustive account of the most recent
approaches to cognitive grammar, which relate to the discursive and
interactive functions of language. Hoffmann (ch. 18 and ch. 19) demonstrates
how the forms and meanings of words are associated with grammatical
constructions, and he explores the various approaches to Construction Grammar
in relation to the cognitive sciences. Fischer (ch. 20) presents three
examples – situated use of grammatical knowledge (recipes), discourse
particles, and frame-semantic knowledge – in which cognitive linguistics and
pragmatics can complement each other to offer a better understanding of
language use. Pascual and Oakley (ch. 21) analyse fictive interactions and
demonstrate how the conceptualisation of the real and the unreal can serve
communicative functions. Bergs (ch. 22) exposes the various cognitive findings
permitted by diachronic approaches to language, with a focus on analogies,
iconicity (symbols), frequency (most frequent linguistic forms),
grammaticalisation, lexicalisation, and constructionalisation. 

The fourth part of the handbook is dedicated to conceptual mappings. Sullivan
(ch. 24) offers an overview of recent adjustments to Conceptual Metaphor
Theory with findings from the analysis of attested linguistic data, the
relevance of conceptual metaphors in different languages, the different modes
of metaphorical productions, psycholinguistic experiments, and bodily
experiences. Littlemore (ch. 25) explores the different cognitive and
neurolinguistic approaches to metonymy. She also presents the functions of
metonymy at the communication level, and observes variations in different
languages. Oakley and Pascual (ch. 26) present the main contributions promoted
by Conceptual Blending Theory to explain the processes involved in conceptual
mappings. Gibbs (ch. 27) addresses questions related to the notion of
embodiment and its function in real-life communicative interactions. He thus
moves away from an exclusively textual analysis of language to demonstrate how
bodily actions help the creation and performance of meaning.  Semino (ch. 28)
highlights the relevance of corpus analyses to study metaphors. She presents
various methodologies to analyse corpora, and illustrates this approach to
metaphors with a case study focusing on metaphorical representations of pain.
Matlock (ch. 29) focuses on fictive, metaphorical motions to analyse the way
people understand and process such motions. 

The fifth part of the handbook presents various methodological approaches to
cognitive linguistic analysis. Janda (ch. 31) presents the research questions
that can be addressed by quantitative approaches to cognitive linguistics. She
also illustrates various methodologies, involving a statistical software
package to produce quantitative findings. Coulson (ch. 32) investigates the
neurolinguistic evidence associating certain regions of the brain with
language ability. Hollmann (ch. 33) focuses on the relevance of studies
associating cognitive linguistics and sociolinguistics, and explains how such
an association allows methodological improvements to explain certain language
phenomena such as linguistic variation. Boas (ch. 34) and David (ch. 35)
illustrate how computational approaches can contribute to cognitive
linguistics. Boas presents FrameNet, which draws on cognitive concepts and
Frame Semantics (Fillmore 1982) to offer researchers an electronic resource
for frame definitions, and identification. David presents MetaNet, which
offers researchers an electronic resource to identify and analyse metaphorical
expressions. Gries (ch. 36) explores the various existing approaches to corpus
analysis, and highlights the type of research questions each approach can help
to address. Dancygier (ch. 37) applies cognitive linguistics to various texts.
She presents cognitive text analysis through different scopes: figuration,
narrative discourse, interaction, and embodiment. 

The sixth part of the handbook focuses on the concepts of space and time.
Sweetser and Gaby (ch. 38) summarise the range of findings related to the
metaphorical conceptualisations of space and time in language use and
investigate the correlation with cognitive and cultural factors. Gaby and
Sweetser (ch. 39) explore the link between space and time in people’s minds.
They report experiments which aim at observing how participants mentally
associate these two concepts, and they draw on these experiments to consider
how non-linguistic representations of time reflect the relationship between
time and space. Gijssels and Casasanto (ch. 40) explore the relationship
between mental and linguistic metaphors of space and time through experiments.
These experiments aim at determining cases where (1) linguistic metaphors
reflect mental metaphor; (2) linguistic metaphors determine the use of
particular mental metaphors; (3) mental metaphors are not reflected in
linguistic metaphors; and (4) mental metaphors contradict linguistic
metaphors. Tenbrink (ch. 41) highlights how discourse analysis can uncover
significant cognitive concepts associated with spatial and temporal
occurrences. She illustrates how discursive instances can be analysed to
explain linguistic choices, which help the researcher to identify cognitive
patterns in discourse. 

EVALUATION

This volume will be of interest to postgraduate students and early career
researchers involved in the field of cognitive linguistic research. Indeed,
the volume satisfactorily documents the most recent approaches in the field,
and it clearly explains how recent contributions have (tried to) solve
existing issues related to works by established scholars in the past. It thus
presents a modern view on the large variety of approaches associated with
cognitive linguistics. Some individual chapters that compose this handbook may
also be relevant to experienced scholars as these comprise various approaches
to cognitive linguistics which may not all be familiar to cognitive linguists.
For instance, the fifth part of the volume, which focuses on diverse
methodological approaches to cognitive linguistics, offers a large range of
methodological explanations associated with the different questions a
researcher may need to address in exploring particular linguistic topics. This
volume thus respects its initial aim at presenting the diversity of research
works that encompass cognitive concepts. 

While individual chapters clearly explain and illustrate different
contributions to the field of cognitive linguistics, I have some reservations
regarding the grouping of chapters into different parts. This reservation
mainly applies to the first two parts of the volume, i.e., “Language,
Cognition, and Culture” and “Language, Body, and Multimodality”. Indeed, these
first two parts are at times quite difficult to follow in terms of the
relationship between the different chapters that compose them. For instance,
Part 1 is composed of 5 chapters: Opening Commentary (Enfield); “Relationships
between Language and Cognition” (Casasanto); “The study of Indigenous
languages” (Rice); “First language acquisition” (de Ruiter and Theakston); and
“Second language acquisition” (Tyler). Part 2 is composed of the following
chapters: Opening Commentary (Turner); “Signed languages” (Wilcox and
Occhino); “Gesture, language, and cognition” (Cooperrider and Goldin-Meadow;
“Multimodality in interaction” (Feyaerts, Bróne, and Oben); “Viewpoint”
(Vandelanotte); “Embodied intersubjectivity” (Zlatev). Even if it is
acknowledged that a cultural view on language may be associated with language
acquisition, and that body language may be associated with multimodality, the
gaps between the chapters are at times confusing. For example, the first part
contains a chapter focusing on indigenous languages, which is followed by a
chapter focusing on first language acquisition. Some intermediary commentaries
or paragraphs linking these chapters would be helpful in order not to confuse
readers. 

My other reservation is related to the focus of this volume, which is to
present the diversity of recent research associated with cognitive
linguistics. Such a focus is informative and, indeed, helps to gain a wider
perspective on the possibilities that exist when engaged in cognitive
research. Still, this focus prevents detailed accounts of particular
sub-disciplines. After I read the entirety of the volume, I was left under the
impression that these sub-disciplines were only incorporated into some case
studies presented here and there in particular chapters. For instance,
cultural studies, empirical analysis, studies of specialist discourse, and
critical discourse analysis deserve more emphasis and, perhaps, dedicated
parts or at least chapters. These approaches are all mentioned and illustrated
in the volume, with adequate referencing, which may lead early career
researchers to look for existing published works detailing such approaches.
This is after all the main aim of this handbook: to offer a general picture of
what present-day researchers call “cognitive linguistics”.

I conclude my evaluation of this handbook by acknowledging the editor’s and
the contributors’ efforts to produce a volume that comprises both influential
works by established scholars and very modern views drawing on – or
significantly stepping away from – such influential works. The very
comprehensive list of references at the end of the volume illustrates the
large scope adopted to approach the field of cognitive linguistics, and helps
the reader to search for further details regarding the many different types of
works referred to in the handbook. This handbook of cognitive linguistics is
therefore a convenient resource for researchers; the diversity of approaches
it presents can lead to new perspectives on language use, and it can
complement ongoing research in the field.

REFERENCES

Chomsky, N. (1986). Knowledge of Language: Its Nature, Origin and Use. New
York, NY: Praeger. 

Chomsky, N. (2000). New Horizons in the Study of Language and Mind. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press. 

Fillmore, C. (1982). Frame Semantics. In Linguistic Society of Korea
Linguistics in the Morning Calm. Seoul, Hanshin: 111-38. 

Lakoff, G. & Johnson, M. (2002) [1980]. Metaphors We Live By. Second edition,
Chicago, The University of Chicago Press.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Doctor Anais Auge is a post-doctoral researcher working in the field of
linguistics. She is involved in research projects focusing on cognitive
linguistics, (critical) discourse analysis, and pragmatics. She is interested
in environmental communication, political discourse analysis, and cultural
studies.

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