SLAV/LING 409 -- Cognitive Linguistics
Welcome to Cognitive Linguistics!
This is an inquiry-based course, which means that instead of me shoveling information at you, I will give you questions to think about or problems to solve.
We will discuss our answers and solutions and thereby come to grips with the theoretical framework of Cognitive Linguistics.
This course depends on your active participation, so please dig in and enjoy!
Logistics
Time & Place: TR 2-3:15 in Dey Hall 403
Instructor: Laura A. Janda (janda@unc.edu; 962-7549; Slavic Dept CB # 3165; office in 312A Dey Hall; mailbox in 425 Dey Hall)
Office Hours: R 3:30-5:00 and by appt
Textbooks
- The following textbooks have been ordered for this course and you should find them in the bookstore:
- Dabrowska, Ewa. 2004. Language, Mind and Brain: Some Psychological and Neurological Constraints on Theories of Grammar. Washington DC: Georgetown U Press. (=EwaD in Assignment Schedule)
- Croft, William and Alan Cruse. 2004. Cognitive Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge U Press.
(=C&C in Assignment Schedule)
If you do not already own a USB data storage device, you are required to purchase one. Your essays and your final presentation must be stored on this device.
Syllabus
This course will involve readings, homework, hour tests, a final presentation, and a final exam. A large portion of your grade will
be determined by your homework and presentation, so you have a lot of control. Also note that you are welcome
to work in groups or individually on ALL the homework and the final presentation.
Here are some guidelines and a grading scheme.
Readings. These are noted in the assignment schedule. It is very important to keep up with them, because often you will need to know what
was covered in the reading in order to make sense of a homework assignment. Also, if there is something in the reading that
doesn't make sense to you, chances are you are NOT alone. Please bring questions with you to class and ask them so that we
can all get the most out of the readings.
Homework. There are 23 homework assignments in the assignment schedule (you can more or less ignore the numbering -- I had to reshuffle them a bit to improve coherence with new readings). You are expected to attempt ALL of them, and
to bring some written record of your work to the next class. In other words, if there is homework, please come to class
with something you have written or printed out. We will use what you have brought to class to begin our discussion, so your
contribution will be very important. During the course of the class, we should be able to resolve the issue or problem in
the homework. After this is done, you are welcome to write up a summary of the class discussion and your observations on the
assignment, including references to relevant passages in our reading. Your summary should be at least one page long (but no more
than two pages). You are expected to hand in a total of 15 homework summaries. Your homework summaries should be turned in at
the following class meeting, and no homework will be accepted after Nov 15. Each homework can receive up to three points, and you are welcome
to resubmit assignments that receive less than three points if you wish to improve your grade.
Final Presentations. Select a work on Cognitive Linguistics from one of the authors on my list of approved
authors (see also this list of ICLA homepages). Books are preferable, but some significant articles may be acceptable. You will need to declare your selection
on Oct 2. During the remainder of the semester you will prepare a powerpoint presentation, which will include a brief introduction
of the author (most of these people have websites) and a complete
report on the work. In addition, you will undertake an original (small) project on the inspiration
of this work and report your findings.
Hour tests and final. The hour tests will focus on the main concepts covered in the
readings and homework. The final will focus on student presentations and ability to use concepts from cognitive linguistics in analysis.
Grading Scheme. Here is an outline of how the grades will be calculated.
- 45 points for Homework (= 15 homework summaries x 3 points each)
- 15 points for Final Presentation
- 30 points for Hour Tests
- 10 points for Final
This adds up to 100 total points. In addition, you can earn extra credit by attending our film series. You will get one point for each session, for a total of 6 possible extra credit points.
How
to succeed in this course
Here are your keys to success in this course:
- Do a small amount of work every day -- don't try to cram several days'
worth of assignments into one evening
- Keep up with the readings and other assignments
- Come to class every day
- When you come to class, be sure to bring something that you have prepared for the class:
comments on a reading, questions for discussion, etc.
- Work on your Final Project early and often
Important note: It is your responsibility to know
about the Honor System at UNC. Go
to this page and be sure you know how to avoid plagiarism and other forms of academic
cheating.
Useful Resource
Check out the International Cognitive Linguistics Association homepage
Don't forget to have fun! See you at the movies!
Please join us TUESDAYS at 6:00. Click here to get the schedule! Sign in and get
extra credit for every film session you attend!
Assignment Schedule
NOTE: This assignment schedule will be updated continually during the semester, so please check it regularly and use the "refresh" function to be sure that you are seeing the latest version.
- What to prepare for next time:
- Read article on Cognitive Linguistics
- Read EwaD Chapter 1: Introduction
- Prepare Homework 1: The Source Domains
- What to prepare for next time:
- Read EwaD Chapter 2: Language processing
- Prepare Homework 2: Conventional and Novel Metaphors
- Prepare Homework 12: Kinship relations, See Metaphor data 1, Metaphor data 2, Metaphor data 3
- What to prepare for next time:
- Read EwaD Chapter 3: Language acquisition and Chapter 4: Language in the brain
- Prepare Homework 3: Taking Too Much from the Source Domain
- Go to see John Taylor Lecture 1 (Introduction to Cognitive Linguistics and what it might offer to the Language Teaching Professions) & Lecture 2 (Categorizations) at our film series today!
Aug 30: Taking Too Much from the Source Domain; Language acquisition & Language in the brain
- What to prepare for next time:
- Read EwaD Chapter 5: Language and other cognitive processes and Chapter 6: Biological underpinnings
- Prepare Homework 23: Czech Facultative Animates
Sept 4: Czech Facultative Animates; Language and other cognitive processes; Biological underpinnings
- What to prepare for next time:
- Read either "A metaphor in search of a source domain" + table (for the more linguistically inclined) or "Russian Aspect at Your Fingertips" + table (for the more pedagogically inclined)
- Print out the matter table and matter handout and bring them to class with you next time.
- Prepare Homework 4: Why Can an Idea Be Both Lofty and Profound?
Sept 6: Lofty & Profound; "Rocks & Sand"; Demonstration of Aspect in Russian website
- What to prepare for next time:
- Read EwaD Chapter 7: Words; cf. Wierzbicka's Semantic Metalanguage
- Homework 24: Polish Nominative Plural Forms
Sept 11: Polish Nominative Plural Forms; Words
- What to prepare for next time:
- Read EwaD Chapter 8: On rules and regularity (sections 1-5)
- Prepare Homework 25: Polish Genitive Singular in -a vs. -u
- See data sheet
- Go to see George Lakoff Lecture 2 (Cognitive Semantics: The Basic Mechanisms of Thought (1)) & Lecture 3 (Cognitive Semantics: The Basic Mechanisms of Thought (2)) at our film series today!
Sept 13: Polish Gsg; Rules and regularity
- What to prepare for next time:
- Read EwaD Chapter 8: On rules and regularity (sections 6-9)
- Prepare Homework 6: Can a computer think?
- The Turing Test, Searle's Chinese Room, see also an interview with Searle
Sept 18: Can a Computer Think?; Rules and regularity cont'd.
- What to prepare for next time:
- Read EwaD Chapter 9: Syntactic constructions (sections 1 & 2)
- Prepare Homework 13: Sound Symbolism
Sept 20: Sound Symbolism; Syntactic constructions
- What to prepare for next time:
- Read EwaD Chapter 9: Syntactic constructions (section 3)
- Prepare Homework 5: What is meaning? Where does it come from? How does it work?
Sept 25: What is meaning?; Syntactic Constructions cont'd.
- What to prepare for next time:
- Read EwaD Chapter 10: The cognitive enterprise
- Prepare Homework 9: Objective Reality
- Go to see George Lakoff Lecture 4 (Cognitive Semantics: The Basic Mechanisms of Thought (3)) & Lecture 5 (Constructions: The Structure of Grammar) at our film series today!
Sept 27: Objective Reality; The cognitive enterprise; Wrap-Up for Hour Test #1
- What to prepare for next time:
- Study for Hour Test #1
- Select the author/title that you will focus on for your final project and be prepared to write them on your Hour Test
- Preview an outline of the Hour Test
Oct 2: Hour Test #1
- What to prepare for next time:
- Read C&C Chapter 1: Introduction and Chapter 2: Frames, domains, spaces
- Prepare Homework 10: Give a Definition
Oct 4: Definition; Frames, domains, spaces; List of Projects; Test info: mean 12.89, low 4.35, high 14.85
- What to prepare for next time:
- Read C&C Chapter 3: Conceptualization and construal (through 3.3.3)
- Prepare Homework 11: What is a LIE?
- Prepare Homework 21: Implicational Maps for Simultaneous Temporal Location
- See data sheet
Oct 9: LIE; Simultaneous Temporal Location; Conceptualization and construal. Semantic Maps
- What to prepare for next time:
- Read C&C Chapter 3: Conceptualization and construal (through end)
- Prepare Homework 14: What's UP?
- Go to see John Taylor Lecture 6 (Construal of Space) & Lecture 7 (Metaphor, Metonymy and Blending) at our film series today!
Oct 11: UP; Conceptualization and construal
- What to prepare for next time:
- Read C&C Chapter 4: Categories, concepts and meanings (through 4.3.5)
- Prepare Homework 15: Adopt-A-Word
- Prepare discussion of final projects
Oct 16: Final Project discussion; Adopt-A-Word; Categories
- What to prepare for next time:
- Read C&C Chapter 4: Categories, concepts and meanings (through end)
- Prepare Homework 16: Russian ZA-; you need to look at data sheets: 1, 2, and 3
Pot-luck/reception with Tore Nesset
All are invited to Laura's house (108 Morningside Drive; note: the star on the map is where you turn onto Morningside from Greensboro; it's a brown house 1 block donw on the right with lots of big rocks in the yard) at 6:30pm. This is your chance to get advice on your projects and socialize with a cognitive linguist!
Oct 23: ZA-; Categories, concepts and meanings (cont'd)
- What to prepare for next time:
- Read C&C Chapter 5: Polysemy (through 5.2.4)
- Read C&C Chapter 8: Metaphor (through 8.3.5)
- Prepare Homework 7: Analyze a poem
Oct 25: Analyze a poem; Polysemy; Metaphor
- What to prepare for next time:
- Read C&C Chapter 8: Metaphor (through end)
- Prepare Homework 8: Metonymy All Around
- What to prepare for next time:
- Read C&C Chapter 9: From idioms to construction grammar
- Prepare Homework 17: The Czech Dative
- Go to see George Lakoff Lecture 6 (The Neural Theory of Language) & Ron Langacker Lecture 1 (Conceptual Semantics) at our film series today!
Nov 1: Czech Dative; Idioms > construction grammar
- What to prepare for next time:
- Read C&C Chapter 10: An overview of construction grammars (pt 1), and C&C Chapter 10: An overview of construction grammars (through end)
- Prepare Homework 19: What's a vowel?
- See data sheet
- See vowel synthesizer
Nov 6: Vowel; Construction Grammars
- What to prepare for next time:
- Read Croft&Cruse Chapter 11: The usage-based model and Chapter 12: Conclusion: cognitive linguistics and beyond
- Prepare Homework 18: Czech až and než
Nov 8: Czech až and než; Wrap-up and study for Hour Test #2
- What to prepare for next time:
- Study for Hour Test #2; Study Guide, Test outline
Nov 13: Hour Test #2
- What to prepare for next time:
Nov 15: Final Presentations
Nov 27: Final presentations
Nov 29: Final presentations
Dec 4: Final presentations
The FINAL EXAM is Thursday, Dec 13 at 4pm in Dey 403
Be there or be 
!