1. An Introduction to Cognitive Linguistics
Laura A. Janda
University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill

2. Structure of talk:
Introduce basic concepts of Cognitive Linguistics: category structure and metaphor
Provide demonstration of role of metaphor in grammar
Talk 2 on transitivity will provide demonstration of category structure

3. Basic concepts
Linguistic cognition has no special status, is not autonomous in the brain
The goal of linguistics is to discover structure and its motivation
All linguistic phenomena are meaningful
Meaning is grounded in embodied human experience

4. The Human Prism
No one-to-one mapping between real-world input and linguistic output
Per/conception and language conventions interact

5. The structure of a radial category
Linguistic categories = cognitive categories
Relationships to a prototype; no boundary
Some members central, others peripheral
Some members share no features
genetic mother
birth mother
mother
adoptive mother
surrogate mother

6. Basic level Concepts are gestalts
The basic level for cognitive categories is not the level of “features” – it is a middle level
Superordinate level: furniture
Basic level: chair
Subordinate level: wheelchair

7. Metaphor: mapping from a source domain to a target domain
Space is source domain for in, out
Target domain time:
get it done in time, running out of time
Target domain emotions:
fall in love, fall out of love
Target domain states:
getting in trouble, getting out of trouble

8. Metaphorical basis of grammar
Physical interactions in space as source domain for semantics of case and transitivity
Nominative = energy source
Accusative = energy sink
Dative = recipient
Instrumental = conduit

9. Matter and Russian Aspect
Matter provides the source domain for the metaphor that motivates aspect in Russian
PERFECTIVE IS A DISCRETE SOLID OBJECT vs. IMPERFECTIVE IS A FLUID SUBSTANCE
Correlation between aspectual distinctions and count/mass, number distinctions

10. Slavic Aspect:
Contrasts perfective vs. imperfective (no progressive and no neutral aspect)
Is independent of tense and other verbal categories
Implements imperfective (as unmarked) where other languages would have perfective
Has a complex and seemingly incoherent array of uses

11. Traditional Feature Analyses
Boundedness, Totality, Definiteness, Change vs. Stability, Sequencing vs. Simultaneity, Exterior vs. Interior, Figure vs. Ground, Punctuality vs. Durativity. Resultative
Lack intricacy needed to account for uses
Are ultimately new synonyms for perfective vs. imperfective

12. The ICM of Matter
Conflates notions of count vs. mass, solid vs. fluid, hard vs. soft, shaped vs. formless, etc.
Both more narrow and more richly textured than count vs. mass (basic level)
Russian has heavy morphological investment in nominal distinctions relating to this ICM (individuation)

13. The Two Types of Matter Discrete Solid Object: Nut Apple Chair Pail
Truck
Fluid substance:
Sand
Water
Air
Smoke

14. Temporal Metaphors from General to Specific:
TIME IS SPACE (well-documented, cf. Haspelmath 1997)
A SITUATION IS A MATERIAL ENTITY (cf. comparisons of perfective vs. imperfective to count vs. mass)
PERFECTIVE IS A DISCRETE SOLID OBJECT vs. IMPERFECTIVE IS A FLUID SUBSTANCE

15. Russian Investments in Individuation
Number is overt, obligatory, intricate, and marked on all inflected words as sg or pl (no default general number)
Russian categorizes as masses items that other languages categorize as individuals (fruits, ethnonyms)
Collective and singulative suffixes
Genitive/Locative singular –у for mass nouns

16. Russian Nominal and Verbal Morphology
Perfective vs. Imperfective is obligatory and ubiquitous like sg vs. pl
Semelfactive -ну- parallels singulative -ин(к)-а
Imperfectivizing suffixes parallel collective suffixes
Delimitatives in по- parallel quantification of masses

17. The Human Observer
NOW is a point in the timeline, but it is occupied by a human observer
The Human Observer is not a point, and interacts with situations the way that a discrete solid interacts with material entities
This is important for distinguishing future time from present time, and for gnomic vs. non-gnomic

18. Properties of Matter and Parameters of Aspect
Inherent Properties -- correspond to inherent structure of situations and act as default values
Interactional Properties -- correspond to discourse structure, and can override Inherent Properties
Human Interactional Properties -- correspond to pragmatic structure, and can override Inherent Properties

19. Analysis of Russian Aspect
See the Table and the examples in your handout.
The letters on the Table correspond to the lettered headings of the examples.

20. Beyond Slavic
French: more perfective than imperfective; motivated by closed vs. open or filling; attenuated number
Chinese: perfective, imperfective and neutral aspect, motivated from various sources; reduced number and no formal count vs. mass distinction
Navajo: Similar to Chinese, and with no number distinction