K - Cognitive grammar

Question 1

10 points of criticism of traditional grammar

Answer 1

1. its reliance on discrete symbols
   - its expectance of yes/no answers in grammaticality judgements
   - its neglect of variation
   - its strict division between synchrony and diachrony
2. its view of language as self-contained
   - its strict separation of levels (e.g. lexicon and morphology)
   - its focus on regular patterns
   - its assumption of classical categories with strict boundaries rather than prototype effects also on the level of grammar
   - its focus on the notion of predictability
3. its assumption of mutually exclusive categories

Question 2

cognitive grammar is

Answer 2

non-modular
not rule-governed
not constructional but conceptualization-based
following principle of integration

Question 3

cognitive processes in cognitive grammar

Answer 3

association
(between semantic and phonological structure)

automatization
(progressive entrenchment leads to available units)

schematization
(ring: on finger -> any ornament -> any round object -> any round entity (ring of dirt left by glass))

categorization
(ring as circular entity -> circular arena
circular arena -> rectangular arena (boxing ring))

Question 4

show the importance of conceptual content in grammer (cognitive grammar) by giving examples

Answer 4

• Possessive
  Bill sent a walrus to Joyce. (focus on path)
  Bill sent Joyce a walrus. (possession focus)

I sent a walrus to Antarctica. (path ok)
*I sent Antarctica a walrus. (no possession)

*I gave a new coat of paint to the fence. (no path)
I gave the fence a new coat of paint. (possession ok)

I cleared the floor for Bill
*I cleared Bill the floor
I cleared Bill a place to sleep on the floor

I baked a cake for her.
I baked her a cake.

• trajectory
• specificity
• expectations
• perspective

Question 5

grammatical conceptualisations, examples

• trajectory

Answer 5

trajectory: e.g. The path of a projectile or other moving body through space.

(a) He goes away. (b) He has gone away.
(a) He was leaving. (b) He left.

a: entire trajectory, goal outside trajectory
b: trajectory narrowed and focussed on goal

Question 6

grammatical conceptualisations, examples

• specificity

Answer 6

He was recovering.
He recovered.

He has been living in Spain for two years.
He lived in Spain for two years.

Question 7

grammatical conceptualisations, examples

• expectations

Answer 7

He has a few friends in high places.
He has few friends in high places.

Few workers have any friends in high places.
A few workers have friends in high places.
*A few workers have any friends in high places.

Question 8

grammatical conceptualisations, examples

perspective
orientation, vantage point, directionality, objectivity

Answer 8

The balloon rose swiftly to the top of the tree.
(concrete, objective motion)

She is sitting to the right of her friend.
(no motion)

The hill falls gently to the bank of the river.
The hill rises gently from the bank of the river.
(abstract, subjective motion)

Question 9

applied cognitive grammar: ditransitive verbs

Answer 9

ditransitive verbs are not fully predictable but not totally random either;
usage-based approach
(providing frequent, prototypical patterns first)

transfer from agent to recipient:
she gave her brother a watch

creation of object for a recipient:
she baked her brother a cake

verbs of commitment:
she promised her brother a watch
she denied them permission

but not: obtain, provide, supply, donate, contribute

Question 10

approaches to teaching grammar historical development

Answer 10

• pattern drill
• contrastive
• functional
• cognitive

Question 11

some limitation rules in grammar

Answer 11

• plural of information?
• continuous forms of love, see, hear, know, hate, have…?
• present perfect if the time period is still ongoing or if the activity is still ongoing or if the result is relevant now

—> but there are exceptions:

• she’s seeing someone
• I am having a fit.
• I spent too much already.
• I just told you.
• I will try both wines.

Question 12

count nouns versus mass nouns

- cognitive approach

Answer 12

unboundedness-boundedness (also applicable to simple vs. continuous form):

• the tree, snow
• some salt, (pass) the salt (in shaker)

perspectivity:
- a tomato, there‘s some tomato on the table

Question 13

aspect and boundedness

Answer 13

boundedness of simple forms
versus
unboundedness of progressive aspect

—> key hole perspective on process
he was building the house (pic of him building)
vs.

Question 14

approaches to teaching grammar historical development

Answer 14

pattern drill
contrastive
functional
cognitive