Cognitive Linguistics - MA Seminar 1

Master's seminars

By the end of the second term of the seminar the following course (Level II) should be completed (unless it has already been completed as part of the program in the Institute of English, UW):

#2645 Metonymy in Language and Thought.

or

#2630 The Notional Approach to Grammatical Categories

Classroom
Self-reading

The seminar will focus on the following topics:

1) Levels of categorization. Linguistic categorization.

2) Cognitive semantics: overview of basic assumptions and concepts

3) Conceptual metaphor and metonymy.

4) Aspects of construal (imagery).

5) Selected aspects of gesture analysis

The seminar will focus on the following topics:

1) Levels of categorization. Linguistic categorization.

2) Cognitive semantics: overview of basic assumptions and concepts

3) Conceptual metaphor and metonymy:

Conceptual metaphor as a mechanism of understanding and experiencing the world as well as a rhetorical tool for persuasion and manipulation; metaphorical expressions as manifestations of metaphors; source of data: everyday language, press, literature.

The role of metonymy in our conceptual system. Metonymy as a mental access point to knowledge. Functions of metonymy in discourse.

4) Aspects of construal (imagery):

This topic relates to one of the basic claims of cognitive linguistics which states that the alternate construal of the same conceptual content is one of the fundamental functions of language (aspects of imagery include, e.g.: perspective, subjectification, degree of specificity);

5) Selected aspects of gesture analysis:

After a brief overview of gesture types and roles we shall discuss gesture as a window onto the processes of conceptualization.

Selected bibliography (the relevant parts):

Evans, Vyvyan and Melanie Green. (2006). Cognitive Linguistics: An Introduction. Edinburgh University Press.

Evans, Vyvyan. (2007). A Glossary of Cognitive Linguistics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Cienki, A., & Müller, C. (Eds.). (2008). Metaphor and gesture. John Benjamins Pub. Co.

Górska, Elżbieta. (2008). "Four arguments for patterns of metaphorical thought". Acta Philologica 35, 15-31.

Górska, Elżbieta and Günter Radden (eds.). (2005). Metonymy-Metaphor Collage. Warszawa: Warsaw University Press.

Kövecses, Zoltán. (2002 [2010]). Metaphor. A Practical Introduction.Oxford: Oxford UP.

Kövecses, Zoltán and Günter Radden. (1998). “Metonymy: Developing a cognitive linguistic view”. Cognitive Linguistics 9/1, 37-77.

Lakoff, George. 1987. Women, Fire and Dangerous Things: What Categories Reveal about the Mind. Chicago/London: The University of Chicago Press.

Lakoff, George and Mark Johnson. (1980). Metaphors we Live by. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Lakoff, George and Mark Johnson. (1999). Philosophy in The Flesh: The Embodied Mind and its Challenge to Western Thought. New York: Basic Books.

Lee, David. (2001). Cognitive Linguistics: An Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Mittelberg, I., & Waugh, L. (2014). Gestures and metonymy. In C. Müller, A. Cienki, E. Fricke, S. Ladewig, D. McNeill, & J. Bressem (Eds.), Handbook of linguistics and communication science (pp. 1747–1766). Mouton de Gruyter.

Núñez, R. E., & Sweetser, E. (2006). With the future behind them: Convergent evidence from aymara language and gesture in the crosslinguistic comparison of spatial construals of time. Cognitive Science, 30(3), 401–450.

Radden, Günter. (2011). Spatial time in the West and the East. W M. Brdar, M. Omazic, V. P. Takac, & T. Gradecak Erderljic (ed.), Space and time in language (s. 1–40). Frankfurt am Main; New York: Peter Lang.

Radden, Günter and René Dirven. (2007). Cognitive English Grammar. Amsterdam: Benjamins.

Taylor, John R. (2002). Cognitive Grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Knowledge

Students will be able to:

K_W01 Identify and characterize on an advanced level the place and status of cognitive and conceptual metaphor theory linguistics within the field of discourse analysis

K_W02 Describe on an advanced level the current trends in metaphor research within cognitive linguistics

K_W04, Characterize on an advanced level the principles of research design in linguistics, with special focus on the application of methods and tools in formulating research problems and testing hypotheses in cognitivie linguistics

K_W05, Identify the notions and principles pertinent to intellectual property and copyright

K_W06, Characterise economic, legal and other factors relevant for various kinds of professional activities related to linguistics

Abilities

Students will be able to:

K_U01 Apply advanced terminology and notions pertinent to cognitive linguistics, and the thoeries of conceptual metaphor and metonymy

K_U02, Apply advanced research methodology within linguistics and English studies, respecting ethical norms and copyright law

K_U03 Apply knowledge obtained during the course of studies to account for phenomena taking place in multimodal discourse, thereby completing a research task on language use through the lens of cognitive semantics

K_U04 Analyze linguistic, literary and cultural phenomena and draw generalizations on their basis in the context of societal, factors on an advanced level. Specifically they should be able to compare different types of discourse

K_U05 Discern alternative methodological paradigms within the analysis of discourse and figurative language

K_U06, Find information in various sources and critically assess its usefulness for research related to the topic of the MA project

K_U07, Use modern technology in the process of learning and communicating with academic teachers, colleagues, representatives of various institutions and fellow participants in classes and projects, applying various channels and techniques of communication

K_U08 Participate in group projects, related to the collection and analysis of linguistic data; collaborate with others and be a team leader in conducting collaborative research, presentations and other tasks included in the curriculum

K_U09 Present knowledge in a coherent, precise and linguistically correct manner in English on level C2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, ensuring an appropriate register and form, especially in the context of explaining problems within linguistics and discourse analysis

K_U011, Design one’s own development

Social competences

Students will be ready to:

K_K02 Apply knowledge and skills obtained during the course of studies to undertake lifelong learning, as well as personal and professional development, especially with the skills related to reading and analyzing scientific academic literature

K_K03 Take responsibility for performing one’s professional duties, with due respect for the work of others during the course, obey and develop the ethical norms in professional and academic settings related to the disciplines included on the curriculum of English studies

K_K04 Assess critically one’s own knowledge and skills related to the collection, analysis, and interpretation of linguistic data

Discussion during seminar is based on the reading assignments; work in "subgroups"; students' oral presentations based on selected literature on the subject; written assignment at the end of the term.

Up to three absences are allowed.