Cognitive grammar is a model of linguistic description which combines conceptual categories and processes of the mind with linguistic form. One of its basic tenets is that the grammar of a language, just like its lexicon, is meaningful. The meanings of grammatical categories are rooted in our conceptual system. Consequently, grammar is part of cognition and makes use of the same cognitive principles that govern all our cognitive processes such as perception and thought. Cognitive grammar accounts for both language structure and language use in an integrated fashion. Language structure reflects units and processes of the conceptual world; language use is determined by the grammatical structures available to the speaker on the one hand and his/her communicative needs and intentions on the other. In performing a communicative act, the speaker decides on the choice of the linguistic units necessary to realize his/her communicative intention and thus constructs the linguistic expression. This process of construal is what makes grammar a cognitive achievement.
Assessment methods: Final exam
Course Outline
