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Cognitive LinguisticsA Complete Guide

By Vyvyan Evans

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£115.00

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About this book

The authoritative general introduction to cognitive linguistics

Vyvyan Evans covers all aspects of the relationship between language and mind, as well as applications and extensions of cognitive linguistics to the study of text, literature, discourse, and society.

Bursting with new content and presented in a new 5-part structure, the book has been fully revised and extensively updated throughout to deliver the complete guide to the cognitive linguistic enterprise. Brand new additions include: an innovative new chapter exploring key topics in language science, a new chapter introducing the range of research methods and approaches for studying human language, mind and behaviour and new chapters exploring areas such as access semantics and meaning construction, conceptual structure, the nature of space, time, gesture and sign language.

The second edition features:
  • 30 fully revised chapters in five coherent parts, including 7 entirely new chapters
  • Discussion questions and annotated reading list at the end of each chapter
  • Critical evaluation and reflection on influential cognitive linguistic theories, and how they compare to formal approaches in linguistics and cognitive science
  • Over 200 tables and figures to clearly demonstrate key concepts, data and ideas

Reviews

I know of no other volume that covers so much of CL so well, especially for readers new to the field. [...] Evans has done a remarkable job of presenting CL’s “cognitive commitment” to relate linguistic structure to general cognitive principles.
This book is a 'must-read' for anyone interested in pursuing work in Cognitive Linguistics. It provides a comprehensive, in-depth account of all the main work in the area and sets out clear directions for the field. It is written in an accessible style which will make it appeal to students and researchers alike. Its breadth and depth of coverage are unparalleled.
Vyv Evans’s Cognitive Linguistics: A Complete Guide is one of the best introductions to the intersection of language and the mind ever written. It masterfully answers a constellation of questions of how language emerges in human experience as a function of human learning, experience, and knowledge - as a cognitive technology that is peerless in the animal kingdom. Evans’s work renders superfluous the idea of a hard-wired "language organ," replacing this simplistic idea with a painstakingly developed empirical theory of human thinking and communication. It is a masterpiece and a delight. I recommend it to students, professionals, and to all those interested in understanding humans and their languages.
Table of contents

Preface; List of figures; List of tables; List of abbreviations

Part I: The Cognitive Linguistics Enterprise

1: What do cognitive linguists study?

2: Key commitments and research methods

3: Foundations of experience I: Space

4: Foundations of experience II: Time

5: Language in use I: Knowledge of language

6: Language in use II: Language change, and acquisition

7: Key topics in language science: Formal versus cognitive linguistics

Part II: Conceptual Structure

8: What is a cognitive linguistics approach to conceptual structure?

9: Image schemas and the origin of concepts

10: Cognitive Semantics

11: Categorisation and idealised cognitive models

12: Conceptual metaphor theory

13: Primary metaphors and conceptual metonymy

Part III: Semantic Structure

14: What is a cognitive linguistics approach to semantic structure?

15: The encyclopaedic approach to semantic structure I: Overview

16: The encyclopaedic approach to semantic structure II: Two theories

17: Network approaches to semantic structure

18: Access semantics and meaning construction

19: Mental spaces and discourse meaning

20: Conceptual blending and semantic creativity

Part IV: Grammar

21: What is a cognitive linguistics approach to grammar?

22: Cognitive Grammar I: Lexical classes

23: Cognitive Grammar II: Constructions

24: Cognitive Grammar III: The verb string

25: Construction Grammar I: Accounting for irregularity in grammar

26: Construction Grammar II: accounting for generalisations in grammar

27: The evolution of grammar

Part V: Applications and Extensions of Cognitive Linguistics

28: Language, society and discourse

29: Text, narrative and literature

30: Gesture and sign language

References; Index

About the author

Vyvyan Evans

Dr. Vyvyan Evans is an internationally renowned expert on language, mind, and digital communication. A native of the ancient Roman cathedral city of Chester, England, he holds an MA in Linguistics from the University of Florida and a PhD in linguistics from Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA. He has lived and worked extensively in Asia, Europe, and North America as a Professor of Linguistics and taught at several universities in the US and UK.

He has published numerous acclaimed popular science and technical books on language and linguistics. His popular science essays and articles have been featured in numerous venues, ranging from The Guardian to Psychology Today, from the New York Post to New Scientist, from Newsweek to The New Republic.

His award-winning writing focuses, in one way or another, on the nature of language and mind, the impact of technology on language, and the future of communication. His published science fiction work explores the status of language and digital communication technology as potential weapons of mass destruction. ​

Dr. Evans consults to a wide range of tech companies on the nature of language and the future of communication, and undertakes research, LLM training, and leads educational and PR campaigns on behalf of corporate clients.