Cognitive Linguistics as a usage-based model of language in which meaning motivates form¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 3 claims (3 for) · 1 study (1 theoretical), q1 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 3 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The article presents Cognitive Linguistics (CL) as a framework in which "language is a dynamic interplay of complex subsystems composed of symbolic units, and meaning is the driving force behind form". Meaning arises from embodied physical experience and interacts with culture-specific conceptualization, extending from physical perception into networks reaching abstract domains. As a usage-based model of acquisition, CL holds that languages differ in how they reflect conceptual representations, so learning an L2 speech community's conventional categories is crucial. The article uses this framework to justify meaning-based L2 pedagogy.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Instruction must connect target forms to the conceptual representations and core senses that motivate their patterns of use.

Constraints¶

• The framework treats conceptual categorizations as culture-specific, so pedagogical applications must be tailored to the L2 speech community's conventions.

Target Learners¶

• second language learners

Target Learning Objectives¶

• appropriate L2 form use grounded in L2 conceptual representations

Claims¶

• Cl Core Sense Preposition Instruction Improves Use [+M]
• Awareness of how learners' conceptual representations deviate from native-speaker preferences can help teachers decide where to focus classroom attention, promoting conceptual fluency [+W]
• Metaphoric competence is proposed to be central to all aspects of language use, including grammatical and sociolinguistic competence [+W]

Related Theories¶

• Complex Dynamic Systems Theory frames learner language as hierarchical, interdependent subsystems in dynamic relations over time
• Usage-Based Second Language Acquisition — the canonical page for this theory

Examples¶

• Teach the conceptual underpinnings of L2 forms rather than only their structural aspects or formulaic units
• Teach prepositions by presenting the core spatial sense first, then deriving metaphoric senses, supported by diagrams and schemas

Key Sources¶

• Sáez, N. (2014). Enhancing the Role of Meaning in the L2 Classroom: A Cognitive Linguistics Perspective. Teachers College, Columbia University Working Papers in TESOL & Applied Linguistics. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1176947