• Maillat Didier

In this course for advanced BA students and MA students, we will investigate a branch of linguistics which proposes to analyse language as a cognitive system. Since Piaget’s original claims a powerful trend in linguistics has linked linguistic development and competence to general cognitive principles, i.e. the processes by which human beings conceptualise the world and elaborate knowledge of the world. Such a view of language implies a strong emphasis on language use. Through a combination of seminal and introductory readings students will become familiar with the main tenets and claims held by cognitive linguists. We will see how such a theoretical approach envisages language acquisition, linguistic meaning, systematic meaning variation, and metaphors for instance; and beyond, we will see how cognition can account for the kind of interactions observed betweenculture and language.  

-        Knowledge of the main concepts and theoretical models

-        Understanding of the cognitive approach to the linguistic analysis of English

-        Knowledge of the current debates

-        Ability to critically assess state-of-the-art papers

-        Ability to illustrate a theoretical discussion with appropriate examples

A bibliography and a list of assigned readings will be made available in the first week of the semester.