This collection of twelve papers illustrates how concepts from the Cognitive Linguistics movement provide valuable insights into second language acquisition and pedagogy. The first part presents three papers that analyze second language acquisition data through Cognitive Linguistics constructs. The first paper discusses Talmy's typology of motion events as a framework for investigating discrepancies in motion event acquisition. The second paper uses the notion of "construction" to explain differences in the use of the English verb "get" between native and non-native speakers. The third paper highlights the importance of frequency and similarity effects in learning prepositions in a second language. The second part of the collection demonstrates how key concepts from Cognitive Linguistics can help language teachers effectively present challenging material in foreign language classrooms. These concepts include polysemy, figure/ground gestalt, usage-based grammar, radial category organization, metaphors, and cultural scripts. This book establishes the relevance of the Cognitive Linguistics paradigm in analyzing linguistic phenomena and its application to second language acquisition and pedagogy. It is aimed at Cognitive Linguists, Second Language Acquisition specialists, and foreign language pedagogy researchers, instructors, and students.
Michel Achard Ordre des livres


- 2004
- 1998
Representation of cognitive structures
Syntax and Semantics of French Sentential Complements
Within the framework of cognitive grammar, investigates the distribution of infinitival and finite complements--indicative and subjunctive--in the French language, emphasizing the causation/perception, modal, conceptualizing subject and impersonal constructions. Presents a fairly large array of constructions that have received considerable attention in the literature, but rather than attempting comprehensiveness, seeks only to demonstrate that French complementation can be considered in a global fashion. Achard believes the findings can be applied to other languages as well. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR