Cognitive Semantics

Generative Oscillation - A Cognitive Model for the Emergence of Language

by Thorold (Thor) May

Research Material for a discontinued PhD

DRAFT COPY ONLY

NOT READY FOR PRINT PUBLICATION

The GO model proposes a co-generative view of the emergence of language. Most conventional linguistics models conceive... more The GO model proposes a co-generative view of the emergence of language. Most conventional linguistics models conceive of language as a representational system of symbols which refer to events, either mental or external to the organism. This representational function is said to motivate the linguistic system and (depending upon the linguistic model) largely control its form. The GO (Generative Oscillation) model proposed here recognizes the representational role of language. However it notes that as the mental linguistic system itself becomes efficiently organized, it creates an internal logic and drive of its own. To some extent this internally motivated linguistic system is conceived to override the external motivation to represent another reality. Since the internal linguistic system is dynamic and generative, it may give rise to linguistic output which seems strange in an inter-human communicative context (or even within the reflective mind of the creator). Thus while the external communicative context can become a constraint on unmotivated non-representational "internal language", it might not eliminate it. The Generative Oscillation model proposes that actual language production is an oscillating compromise between the representational function of language and the mental "language bot" itself (i.e. an internal self-organizing system) which is generating language strings just because that is what language language bots do. As far as I know, the Generative Oscillation Model, or anything like it, had not been suggested before in linguistics at the time of writing. Some conventional linguists may find it a bit "off the wall".

Techniques and tools. Corpus methods and statistics for semantics

by Dylan Glynn

An overview of the corpus methods and statistical techniques in Cognitive Semantics An overview of the corpus methods and statistical techniques in Cognitive Semantics

Schäfke 2012 - The Extorted Dwarf

by Werner Schäfke

published in Jackson, Tatjana N.; Melnikova, Elena A. (Hg.) (2012): Skemmtiligastar Lygisögur. Studies in Honour of Galina Glazyrina. Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of World History, Dmtriy Pozharsky University. Moscow: Dmtriy Pozharsky University, pp. 163-188.

This paper describes a cognitive method for motif analysis using the example of the extorted dwarf in saga literature.... more This paper describes a cognitive method for motif analysis using the example of the extorted dwarf in saga literature. The method derives from Abelson and Schank’s script analysis. The analysis shows that no single instantiation of the motif supplies all the literary knowledge needed to understand the motif. Furthermore, the oldest instantiation of the motif found in Völsunga saga proves to be the one presupposing most literary knowledge and the least prototypical one regarding the motif’s outward presentation.

A Dynamic Model Of Associative Semantic Memory

by Guy Tiberghien

Construing motion in Berber

by Axel Fleisch

Draft version. The final version appeared in: « Parcours berbères »
Mélanges offerts à Paulette Galand-Pernet et Lionel Galand pour leur 90e anniversaire, ed. by Amina Mettouchi. Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag, 2011, pp. 485-503. [Berber Studies, vol. 33.]]

Over recent years there has been an increasing interest in cognitive semantics and its place in linguistic typology.... more Over recent years there has been an increasing interest in cognitive semantics and its place in linguistic typology. Among the more often studied domains is the construal of complex events, going back to Talmy’s influential work (1985, 2000a/b) on the typology of motion events, their semantic subcomponents and lexicalization patterns of verbs. The descriptive usefulness of this work is largely recognized, although in some crucial details, Talmy’s typology has been expanded, because it did not account for the facts observed in a number of languages. The most often cited examples are languages with serial verb constructions, languages with a small closed class of verbs, or languages with productive incorporating strategies and complex compounding. A central objective of this article is to show that Berber varieties1, although none of the afore-mentioned mechanisms or properties apply to them, are equally difficult to describe in terms of Talmy’s verb-framing versus satellite-framing distinction. Of the different attempts at expanding his typology, Croft et al. (forthcoming) proves most useful. In Berber, different construction types need to be classified differently, and some may turn out not to be specifically verb- or satellite-framing. This, together with microvariation between different varieties, points at diachronic dynamics—a route also followed in the work by Croft and his co-workers. Our present data for Berber do not allow for a conclusive proposal in this regard. Yet, it is interesting to note that more strongly grammaticalized directional/orientational clitics are reminiscent of satellite-framing constructions, while at the same time, Berber varieties show a number of properties more typically associated with verb-framing languages. In general, however, Berber seems to be relatively symmetrical with little indication of a more grammaticalized integration of complex events.

Kant’s Cognitive Semantics, Newton’s Rule Four of Philosophy & Scientific Realism

by Kenneth R Westphal

Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason contains an original and powerful semantics of singular cognitive reference which has... more Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason contains an original and powerful semantics of singular cognitive reference which has important implications for epistemology and for philosophy of science. Here I argue that Kant’s semantics directly and strongly supports Newton’s Rule 4 of Philosophy in ways which support Newton’s realism about gravitational force. I begin with Newton’s Rule 4 of Philosophy and its role in Newton’s justification of realism about gravitational force (§2). Next I briefly summarize Kant’s semantics of singular cognitive reference (§3), and then show that it is embedded in and strongly supports Newton’s Rule 4, and that it rules out not only Cartesian physics (per Harper) but also Cartesian, infallibilist presumptions about empirical justification generally (§4). This result exposes a key fallacy in Bas van Fraassen’s original argument for his anti-realist Constructive Empiricism (§5).
Keywords: Newton, Harper, van Fraassen, scientific realism, constructive empiricsm, cognitive reference, anti-Cartesianism.

Caveat, Metaphors!

by Drazen Pehar

Synthesis Philosophica, 11, 11/1991, pp. 159-178, Zagreb

The author refutes the two main hypotheses of the standard analytic model of ascribing of metaphorical content, the... more The author refutes the two main hypotheses of the standard analytic model of ascribing of metaphorical content, the hypothesis of patent falsity as metaphorical warrant and the hypothesis of some deeper secondary meaning of metaphor. Moreover, he attempts to prove that paraphrasing is a legitimate procedure that can offer a complete content of metaphorical expression. This part includes a discussion with Black's and Davidson's opinions. At the end the author concludes. 1) the word “metaphor” is a constructive formula for ad hoc definition of metaphor; 2) the definition of metaphor is unnecessary; 3) the concept of metaphor is relative and depends on the flexible and movable boundaries of discourse.

Mitigation and Intensification of Persuasive Discourse in a Koine Greek Letter: Coherent Macrostructure in the Letter of James

by Benjamin Pehrson

Presented to the Faculty of
the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
Master of Arts
with major in Applied Linguistics
June 2010
Supervising Professor: Shin Ja J. Hwang

A longstanding debate continues regarding coherent structure in the Koine Greek New Testament Letter of James. I... more A longstanding debate continues regarding coherent structure in the Koine Greek New Testament Letter of James. I argue that multiple linguistic perspectives confirm the central theme of trust in divine grace and mercy as foundational to Christian behavior. Applying Lakoff and Johnson’s cognitive semantics theory to James, a faith-journey conceptual metaphor structures the life of faith according to the source-path-goal image schema with a born-of-grace conceptual metaphor reflecting the source. Using Longacre and Hwang’s discourse theory, I describe James in terms of discourse type, notional schemata, macrosegmentation, skewing, paragraph relations, verb/clause salience, and embedding. A prototype approach reveals James as a persuasive text with embedded hortatory and expository units. Movements of mitigation and intensification most clearly reveal the coherent structure within the text’s profile and peaks. The controlling theme is ultimately derived from the above investigations in terms of van Dijk’s theory of macrostructure.

Sensory load incurs conceptual processing costs

by Nicolas Vermeulen

Is Gödel a plagiarist? Building Blocks for a New Experimental Semantics.

by Carlos M. Muñoz-Suárez

DRAFT.

Conceptual information about size of objects in nouns

by Anna Borghi

Love and Anger: the Grammatical Structure of Conceptual Metaphors

by Dylan Glynn

Glynn, D. 2002. Love and Anger. The grammatical structure of conceptual metaphors. Cognitive Approaches to Metaphor. Special Edition of Style 36: 541-559.

Constructions at the Crossroads

by Dylan Glynn

Glynn, D. 2004. Constructions at the Crossroads. The place of construction grammar between field and frame. Review of Cognitive Linguistics 2: 197-233

A case study in the lexico-construction field of STEAL-TAKE in English. The study argues that constructional networks... more A case study in the lexico-construction field of STEAL-TAKE in English. The study argues that constructional networks and lexical fields must be studied simultaenously in order to explain lexical licencing.

Cognitive Corpus Linguistics

by Dylan Glynn

Arppe, A., G. Gilquin, D. Glynn, M. Hilpert, A. Zschel. 2010. Cognitive Corpus Linguistics: Five points of debate on current theory and methodology. Corpora 5: 1-27.

A theoretical discussion on the problems of applying corpus methodology to the Cognitive Linguistic model of language A theoretical discussion on the problems of applying corpus methodology to the Cognitive Linguistic model of language

Polysemy, Syntax, and Variation

by Dylan Glynn

Polysemy, Syntax, and Variation. A usage-based method for Cognitive Semantics. V. Evans & S. Pourcel (eds). New Directions in Cognitive Linguistics, 77-106. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

A case study in multivariate corpus-driven Cognitive Semantics. The study seeks to show how 'senses' can be understood... more A case study in multivariate corpus-driven Cognitive Semantics. The study seeks to show how 'senses' can be understood as clusters of usage features, relative to social context, rather than discrete semantic categories. The study employs multiple correspondence analysis.

Synonymy, Lexical Fields, and Grammatical Constructions

by Dylan Glynn

Glynn, D. 2010. Synonymy, Lexical Fields, and Grammatical Constructions. A study in usage-based Cognitive Semantics. H.-J. Schmid & S. Handl (eds). Cognitive Foundations of Linguistic Usage-Patterns, 89-118. Berlin: Mouton.

A case study in the near-synonymy of /annoy/, /bother/ and /hassle/. The study shows how usage-feature corpus analysis... more A case study in the near-synonymy of /annoy/, /bother/ and /hassle/. The study shows how usage-feature corpus analysis can capture the semantics relations between lexemes in a multidimensional manner. This it argues is crucial because lexical semantics are integrated into the constructional semantics in which they occur.

Corpus-driven Cognitive Linguistics

by Dylan Glynn

Glynn, D. 2011. Corpus-driven Cognitive Linguistics. A case study in polysemy. Seria Filogia 51: 67-83.

Sociolinguistic Cognitive Semantics

by Dylan Glynn

Glynn, D. In press. Sociolinguistic Cognitive Semantics. A quantitative study of dialect effects on polysemy. Review of Cognitive Linguistics.

This paper is a multifactorial usage-feature case study in the polysemy of /annoy/. The study demonstrates that,... more This paper is a multifactorial usage-feature case study in the polysemy of /annoy/. The study demonstrates that, according to the usage-based model of language propounded by Cognitive Linguistics, neither semnatic structure or sociolinguistic variation actually exist. Instead of semantics, pragmatics, and sociolinguistics, all meaning is part of socio-semantic continuum.

Testing the Hypothesis

by Dylan Glynn

Testing the Hypothesis. Objectivity and Verification in Usage-Based Cognitive Semantics. D. Glynn & K. Fischer (eds). Quantitative Cognitive Semantics. Corpus-driven approaches, 239-270. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

A case study in multivariate usage-feature corpus linguistics of the lexeme /bother/ in British and American English.... more A case study in multivariate usage-feature corpus linguistics of the lexeme /bother/ in British and American English. The study argues that falsifiability is crucial to semantic research, not objectivity. The study employs multiple logistic regression analysis.

The many uses of run

by Dylan Glynn

Glynn, D. 2011. The many uses of run. Corpus methods and socio-cognitive semantics. D. Glynn & J. Robinson (eds), Polysemy and Synonymy. Corpus methods in Cognitive Semantics. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

This paper is a re-analysis of Gries' (2006) corpus study into the polysemy of run from a Cognitive Linguistic... more This paper is a re-analysis of Gries' (2006) corpus study into the polysemy of run from a Cognitive Linguistic perspective. It confirms Gries' results but argues that sociolinguistic parameters need to be included in Cognitive Semantic analysis.