Towards a cognitive linguistic approach to language comprehension
This thesis develops a cognitive linguistic approach to language comprehension. The cognitive approach differs from traditional linguistic approaches in that linguistic description is seen as an integral part of the description of cognition, and that the object of description is the nature of conceptual structures, the processes which relate these conceptual structures, and the effect of context upon these processes. As a cognitive description within cognitive science, a computational approach is adopted: language comprehension is described in terms of two modules, a linguistic processing module and a discourse processing module. Within these modules, conceptual structures and processes are given a uniform characterization: structures are characterized as partial objects which are extended by processes into (potentially) less partial objects. In the linguistic processing module, linguistic expressions is characterized as signs which combine as head and modifier. The conceptual structure in signs for lexical expressions are related to the conceptual structure in signs for phrasal expressions by means of two extensional processes: a specification process which unifies a modifier sign with parts of the head sign;
McGlashan, G. Scott
Towards a cognitive linguistic approach to language comprehension. This thesis develops a cognitive linguistic approach to language comprehension. The cognitive approach differs from traditional linguistic approaches in that linguistic description is seen as an integral part of the description of cognition, and that the object of description is the nature of conceptual structures, the processes which relate these conceptual structures, and the effect of context upon these processes. As a cognitive description within cognitive science, a computational approach is adopted: language comprehension is described in terms of two modules, a linguistic processing module and a discourse processing module. Within these modules, conceptual structures and processes are given a uniform characterization: structures are characterized as partial objects which are extended by processes into (potentially) less partial objects. In the linguistic processing module, linguistic expressions is characterized as signs which combine as head and modifier. The conceptual structure in signs for lexical expressions are related to the conceptual structure in signs for phrasal expressions by means of two extensional processes: a specification process which unifies a modifier sign with parts of the head sign;
towards cognitive_linguistic language_comprehension develops cognitive_linguistic language_comprehension cognitive differs traditional linguistic_approach linguistic_description see integral_part description cognition object description nature conceptual_structure process relate conceptual_structure effect context upon process cognitive description within cognitive_science computational adopt language_comprehension describe_term module linguistic processing module discourse_processing module within module conceptual_structure process give uniform characterization structure characterize partial object extend process potentially less partial object linguistic processing module linguistic_expression characterize sign combine head modifier conceptual_structure sign lexical expression related conceptual_structure sign phrasal expression mean extensional process specification process unifies modifier sign part head sign