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Oxford Textbooks in Linguistics
Cognitive Grammar
Cognitive Grammar offers a radical alternative to mainstream linguistic theories. This book introduces the theory in clear, non-technical language, relates it to current debates about the nature of linguistic knowledge, and applies it to in-depth analyses of a range of topics in semantics, syntax, morphology, and phonology. Study questions and suggestions for further reading accompany each of the main chapters.
- GenresLinguisticsNonfiction
634 pages, Paperback
First published December 19, 2002
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About the author
John R. Taylor
8 booksJohn R. Taylor was senior lecturer in Linguistics at the University of Otago, New Zealand.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 2, 2021
* to read again
Cognitive Grammar is relatively accessible in that the language is friendly, even colloquial, and inaccessible in that you absolutely must be familiar with grammar, schools, of grammar, and the thinkers therein in order for any of this to be legible to you. That aside, I can't imagine anyone without these prerequisites ever seeing this book and going, "I want to read this", so I would hardly call that a fault.
The first time I ever picked up an academic book, you know the kind, published by a reputable academic publisher, pushed as part of a university course, €120, I walked away feeling so disappointed . Was that all? All that the much vaunted academic literature had to offer? I expected so much more, some deeper knowledge. But no, I’d read better and deeper explanations of this on a Reddit forum where the writers call each other Tards.
Not this book. No. This one is worth every penny. I’ve learned more new ideas from this book than just about any I can recall. And, in a well-structured, well formatted, and easy-to-learn-from format.
The basic conceptual idea is that grammar is not a series of formal rules. Cognitive grammar simplifies rules to how language is used semantically and contextually. In psychology and psychoanalysis terms, the word or word phrase stands for an object (unit) which is given place in a sentence phonologically and semantically based on its contextual relationships. Because all words are categorized based on domains of usage and meaning, building a sentence is only a matter of pulling from a domain category and slotting it into place based on semantics and phonology.
Simple. Brilliant. So much better than formalist grammar. This makes sense, although I wouldn’t say it’s perfect.
- I adore the page layout. This is beautiful.
- there is an unfinished sentence on page 399. It just ends. There is nothing. There are also some typos here and there.
- Actually there are like 6 typos between page 390 and 425 ???
- Do not take a shot every time you read, “vis-a-vis”. You will die.
Overall, I appreciate the book a lot and would rate it 5 stars if the typos were fixed and some of the language were edited for cogency, because I think, as-is, the book could be reduced in volume by 15-20% with a good sentence structure edit.
Cognitive Grammar is relatively accessible in that the language is friendly, even colloquial, and inaccessible in that you absolutely must be familiar with grammar, schools, of grammar, and the thinkers therein in order for any of this to be legible to you. That aside, I can't imagine anyone without these prerequisites ever seeing this book and going, "I want to read this", so I would hardly call that a fault.
The first time I ever picked up an academic book, you know the kind, published by a reputable academic publisher, pushed as part of a university course, €120, I walked away feeling so disappointed . Was that all? All that the much vaunted academic literature had to offer? I expected so much more, some deeper knowledge. But no, I’d read better and deeper explanations of this on a Reddit forum where the writers call each other Tards.
Not this book. No. This one is worth every penny. I’ve learned more new ideas from this book than just about any I can recall. And, in a well-structured, well formatted, and easy-to-learn-from format.
The basic conceptual idea is that grammar is not a series of formal rules. Cognitive grammar simplifies rules to how language is used semantically and contextually. In psychology and psychoanalysis terms, the word or word phrase stands for an object (unit) which is given place in a sentence phonologically and semantically based on its contextual relationships. Because all words are categorized based on domains of usage and meaning, building a sentence is only a matter of pulling from a domain category and slotting it into place based on semantics and phonology.
Simple. Brilliant. So much better than formalist grammar. This makes sense, although I wouldn’t say it’s perfect.
- I adore the page layout. This is beautiful.
- there is an unfinished sentence on page 399. It just ends. There is nothing. There are also some typos here and there.
- Actually there are like 6 typos between page 390 and 425 ???
- Do not take a shot every time you read, “vis-a-vis”. You will die.
Overall, I appreciate the book a lot and would rate it 5 stars if the typos were fixed and some of the language were edited for cogency, because I think, as-is, the book could be reduced in volume by 15-20% with a good sentence structure edit.
Displaying 1 of 1 review