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- Volume 2, Issue, 2004
Annual Review of Cognitive Linguistics - Volume 2, Issue 1, 2004
Volume 2, Issue 1, 2004
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The Dutch change-of-state copulawordenand its Spanish counterparts: A matter of aspect and voice
Author(s): Hilde Hanegreefspp.: 1–29 (29)More LessBy means of a contrastive corpus analysis we will examine the different translation possibilities in Spanish for the Dutch change-of-state copulaworden. Unlike English or French, Spanish does not have a single verb to translate the Dutch copulaworden, but instead displays a whole range of possibilities to express change. In the present study, we will focus on the three Spanish predicates that – in our corpus – are most frequently used to translate the attributive construction withworden, viz. A semi-copula, a lexical verb and a simple copula (serorestar ‘to be’).Our data will reveal that the selection of an appropriate translation of worden is not random. On the contrary, a different translation category corresponds to a different conceptualization of the process of change. A variety of contextual, formal and semantic factors can help explain the preference for one translation possibility over the other.
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An acquisitional approach to disharmonic word-order/affixation pairings
Author(s): Michael Fortescue and J. Lachlan Mackenziepp.: 31–71 (41)More LessVarious proposals have been put forward to explain the typological skewing produced by the universal preference for suffixing as opposed to prefixing. These proposals have focused either on processing or on diachronic explanations (or a combination of both). In the present paper it is argued that a developmental approach is more comprehensive than either of these. It can explain exceptions from typologically universal tendencies as well as the tendencies themselves in terms of alternative ways of balancing off basic acquisitional principles involved already at the holophrastic stage of development. The long-term stability of certaina priori‘disharmonic’ or unusual combinations of features is emphasised. What is needed to give support to the model is data from the acquisition of languages with rich morphologies. The available data is examined for evidence and a framework is proposed as a guide to future investigations.
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Typological variation in encoding the manner, path, and ground components of a metaphorical motion event
Author(s): Şeyda Özçalışkanpp.: 73–102 (30)More LessThe paper compares two typologically distinct languages with regard to their lexicalization patterns in encoding metaphorical motion events: (1) verb-framed (V-language, represented by Turkish), in which the preferred pattern for framing motion events is the use of a path verb with an optional manner adjunct (e.g.,enter running), and (2) satellite-framed (S-language, represented by English), in which path is lexicalized in an element associated with the verb, leaving the verb free to encode manner (e.g.,run in). The paper focuses on typological differences in encoding the manner, path, and ground components of metaphorical motion events, using data from novels written originally in English or Turkish, and further extends the applicability of the typological dichotomy to the metaphorical uses of the lexicon.
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The cognitive basis of adjectival and adverbial resultative constructions
Author(s): Cristiano Brocciaspp.: 103–126 (24)More LessIn this paper I investigate adjectival resultative constructions, which usually do not occur in Romance languages, and adverbial resultative constructions, which are also possible in Romance languages. I claim that adjectival resultative constructions and adverbial resultative constructions rely on different cognitive processes. In particular, I contend that adjectival resultative constructions involve the activation of Langacker's billiard-ball model. Such an analysis turns out to be more satisfactory than formal ones. On the other hand, adverbial resultative constructions, as well as more generally adverbial depictive constructions, are argued to involve the process of property ascription by the conceptualiser and the reference point ability. Finally, I show that adverbial (resultative) constructions exhibit similarities with so-called raising constructions in that both crucially rely on the reference point ability.
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The image-schematic basis of the EVENT STRUCTURE metaphor
Author(s): María Sandra Peña Cervelpp.: 127–158 (32)More LessWithin the framework of Cognitive Linguistics, the study of metaphor has received great attention mainly because of its conceptual character. This conception is at odds with traditional accounts, in which metaphor was merely a linguistic phenomenon endowed with a decorative function. One of the metaphors which has been the object of a greater amount of research is the EVENT STRUCTURE metaphor. It qualifies as a generic-level metaphor provided with a universal character. One of the main reasons for this is the image-schematic component which lies at the base of many of the expressions belonging to this metaphorical system. Image-schemas have long been postulated to emerge from everyday bodily experience (Johnson 1987; Lakoff 1987). It is thus argued that they are shared by people and cultures all over the world. As a consequence, any conceptual system based on them must be endowed with some universal character. We attempt to examine the image-schematic component which underlies the different specific metaphoric mappings which integrate the EVENT STRUCTURE metaphor both in the LOCATION and OBJECT branches.
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Grammaticalisation through constructions: The story of causativehavein English
Author(s): Debra Ziegelerpp.: 159–195 (37)More LessRecent arguments by Langacker (2003) on the nature of verb meanings in constructions claim that such meanings are created by entrenchment and frequency of use, and only with repeated use can they become conventionalised and acceptable. Such a position raises the need for a diachronic perspective on Construction Grammar. The present paper investigates the evolution of constructions through the example of thehave-causative in English, which appears to have had its origins as a transfer verb in telic argument structure constructions. When the construction contains a transfer verb, construction meaning reinforces verb meaning and periphrastic causatives may grammaticalise as output; this is a gradual development over time. In one way, then, the verbhavegrammaticalises across a succession of constructions, but in another, the telic argument structure construction itself is seen to have a progressive diachronic development.
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Constructions at the crossroads: The place of construction grammar between field and frame
Author(s): Dylan Glynnpp.: 197–233 (37)More LessConstruction Grammar focuses on the meaning encoded in the syntagmatic structures of language. However, syntagmatic meaning and coding interact in a complex way with paradigmatic structures such as lexis, metonymy, and metaphor. How can Construction Grammar capture the formal and semantic structure of entrenched schematic constructions while rigorously accounting for all these parameters? Based on the analysis of the conceptual domain of ‘stealing’ in English, this study demonstrates that through combining three different approaches to linguistic structure, the study of the semantic frame, the cognitive model, and the onomasiological lexical field, we can more properly appreciate and explain lexical, metaphoric, and constructional interplay.
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From relational schemas to subject-specific semantic relations: A two-step classification of compound terms
Author(s): Ulrike Osterpp.: 235–259 (25)More LessCompounding is a major word-formation procedure in many languages, and even more so in specialised terminology. The classification of these compound words is a very complex issue due to the large number of semantic relations that can hold between the constituents of the compound. Typologies for different special languages differ considerably from each other and usually combine rather general with highly subject-specific relations. This paper presents a proposal for a two-step classification of these intraterm relations. First, a set of basic relational schemas is worked out, whose purpose is to serve as a tool for the interpretation of semantic relations. These schemas, which are potentially applicable to any domain, are then used to classify the actual compound terms that appear in a corpus of texts from a specific technical field.
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Spatial cognition and linguistic expression: Empirical research on frames of reference in Japanese
Author(s): Kazuko Shinohara and Yoshihiro Matsunakapp.: 261–283 (23)More LessThis paper analyzes frames of reference involved in linguistic expression of spatial relations of objects, using an experimental method. Objects with and without intrinsic orientation are used as the figure object, and it is demonstrated that there exists in Japanese a phenomenon we call ‘figure-aligned mapping’, where the coordinate system on the figure object is projected onto the ground object. This is what previous studies have not reported or argued. We claim that this figure-aligned mapping belongs to the intrinsic frame of reference among the three (intrinsic, relative, and absolute) frames of reference proposed by Levinson, and some revision of his definition of the intrinsic frame is proposed so that figure-aligned mapping can be accommodated in it. The result of this study confirms the importance of the notion of coordinate system in the discussion of frames of reference.
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Semantic change as a process of conceptual blending
Author(s): Marcin Grygielpp.: 285–304 (20)More LessThe purpose of the paper is to present a new approach to semantic change where meaning alteration is perceived as a by-product of conceptual blending processes and diachronic structures are argued to possess the same characteristics as their synchronic counterparts. Thus, traditionally considered a subject of historical linguistics studiesparexcellence – semantic change – can be understood as conventionalisation of context-dependent modification of usage. The paper examines selected cases of changes in meaning pertaining to the semantic domain BOY and seeks the basis for their explanation in the blending operations of meaning construction. From this perspective, semantic change appears as a natural consequence of language usage directly related to cognitive processing.
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Why Construction Grammar is radical
Author(s): John R. Taylorpp.: 321–348 (28)More LessThis article reviews some of the foundational assumptions of Croft'sRadical Construction Grammar. While constructions have featured prominently in much recent work in cognitive linguistics, Croft adopts the ‘radical’ view that constructions are the primary objects of linguistic analysis, with lexical and syntactic categories being defined with respect to the constructions in which they occur. This approach reverses the traditional view, according to which complex expressions are compositionally assembled through syntactic rules operating over items selected from the lexicon. The ubiquity of idioms, especially so-called constructional idioms, provides compelling evidence for the essential correctness of the radical constructional view. The possibility of a radical constructional approach to phonology is also discussed.
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Motion events in Spanish L2 acquisition
Author(s): Teresa Cadierno and Lucas Ruiz
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