Page 2 - Cognitive Grammar
P. 2
Questionnaire
1- What do you infer by grammar is symbolic in world with a brain, which is not blank; it has an initial
nature? structure that determines future development.
Grammar is symbolic in nature. It consists of patterns for
imposing and symbolizing particular ways of construing the 5- What is genetic endowment?
more specific conceptual content provided by lexical items. Genetic endowment sometimes plays a significant role in
But specificity is a matter of degree, and lexical items also the production of health. So, as Macdonald (2003) points
impose construals. It holds that grammar and lexicon form a out, at the current state of knowledge there are relatively
continuum residing in assemblies of symbolic structure. it few “simple” genetic disorders, that is, disorders that can
makes available to the speaker for either personal or be traced to a single gene or several genes, each of which
communicative use, an open ended set of linguistic signs or can still cause the disorder. To date, no single gene or set
expressions. of genes has been assigned a causal role in the majority of
cases of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and
2- What is American Structuralism? stroke. However, it is generally accepted that these tend to
American structuralism is a label attached to a aggregate within families, suggesting possible genetic
heterogeneous but distinctive style of language scholarship links. According to Macdonald (2005), various gene
practiced in the United States, the heyday of which locations have been linked to increased risk of developing
extended from around 1920 until the late 1950s. There is hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes, all of
certainly diversity in the interests and intellectual stances of which are associated risk factors for heart disease and
American structuralists. Nevertheless, some minimum stroke. The risk of developing many common diseases,
common denominators stand out. American structuralists including heart disease, diabetes and stroke, can be
valued synchronic linguistic analysis, independent of—but modified by participation in certain healthy behaviors (for
not to the exclusion of—study of a language’s development example, maintaining a certain diet and regular physical
over time; they looked for, and tried to articulate, systematic activity) or by avoiding certain unhealthy behaviors (for
patterns in language data, attending in particular to the example, smoking), even if these diseases exhibit a
sound properties of language and to morphophonology. To tendency to occur within a family.
summarize Structuralism implies elements of human 6- What is parsimonious set of theoretical
culture must be understood by way of their relationship to a
broader, overarching system or structure. It works to principles?
uncover the structures that underlie all the things that The principle of parsimony (Occam's razor) dictates that a
humans do, think, perceive, and feel. Example: An example theory should provide the simplest possible (viable)
of structuralism is describing an apple. An apple is crisp, explanation for a phenomenon. Others suggest that good
sweet, juicy, round, and hard. Another example is describing theory exhibits an aesthetic quality, that a good theory is
your experience at the ocean by saying it is windy, salty, simple (as beauty nor nature can be complex}. The
and cold, but rejuvenating. definition of parsimonious is people who are cheap, frugal
or unwilling to spend money. An example of someone who
3- What is contemporary generative grammar? is parsimonious is someone who obsessively watches
Generative grammar is a branch of theoretical linguistics. every dime of his money. Introduction to Communication
The study of generative grammar began in the 1950s as the Theory/Evaluating Theory. (2020,8 march). WikiBooks
,
result of work performed by Noam Chomsky who took a open books for an open world. Available in:
naturalistic approach to the study of language. This https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Introduction_to_Communic
approach tries to provide a set of rules that recursively ation_Theory/Evaluating_Theory#:~:text=Parsimony,nor%2
specify or generate the well-formed expressions of a 0nature%20can%20be%20complex%7D.
natural language. In other words, Generative grammar 7- How is the role of social interaction
theories are based upon the belief that humans have an accommodated in cognitive grammar?
innate language faculty that allows children to learn to The role of social interaction accommodated in cognitive
speak their native language in little or no time with a very grammar is which takes people into account but claims
minimal amount of conscious effort. On the other hand, the that an individual mind is not the right place to look for
primary components studied by experts in generative meaning. Instead, meanings are seen as emergencies
grammar include syntax (structure of sentences), semantics dynamically in discourse and social interaction. Rather than
(linguistic meaning), phonology (sound patterns of being fixed and predetermined, they are actively
language), and morphology (structure and meaning of negotiated by interlocutors on the basis of the physical,
words). linguistic, social and cultural context. Meaning is not
4- How does autonomous module of the mind
localized but distributed, aspects of it inherent in the
differ from integral facet of cognition? speech community, in the pragmatic circumstances of the
The difference between the autonomous module of the speech event, and in the surrounding world. In particular, it
mind and integral facet of cognition is that the integral facet is not inside a single speaker’s head. The static, insular view
reflects the interaction where a number of things come ascribed to cognitive semantic is deemed incapable of
together, the social, cultural, psychological, communicative, handling the dynamic, intersubjective, context dependent
and functional considerations. In other words, the language nature of meaning construction in actual discourse.
is behavior. Individuals learn from what people do. Children
are not born with a language; they acquire it in their first
years of life. On the other hand, autonomous modules of the References: (Fuyin, Thomas (ed) 2018. Ten lectures on
mind or modularity by Chomsky, language is a cognitive applied cognitive linguistic: introduction to cognitive
ability, which is independent of social abilities or linguistics and what it might offer the language teaching
interpersonal skills. Also, he assumed, a child comes into profession. doi:10.1163/9789004347564_001)
the
