World Englishes : a cognitive sociolinguistic approach / by Hans-Georg Wolf, Frank Polzenhagen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wolf, Hans-Georg, 1963-

Contributor:

Polzenhagen, Frank.

Series:

Applications of cognitive linguistics ; 8.

Applications of cognitive linguistics, 1861-4075 ; 8

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English language--Variation--Africa.

English language.

Cognitive grammar--Africa.

Cognitive grammar.

Intercultural communication--Africa.

Intercultural communication.

Sociolinguistics--Africa.

Sociolinguistics.

English language--Africa.

Africa--Languages--Influence on English.

Africa.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (302 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berlin ; New York : Mouton de Gruyter, c2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The book is the first of its kind to establish Cognitive Linguistics as a research paradigm within the field of world Englishes. The authors survey the main tenets of both areas of linguistic enquiry and suggest that the theoretical and methodological apparatus developed both within Cognitive Linguistics generally and within its novel sub-discipline Cognitive Sociolinguistics can overcome certain limitations inherent in traditional approaches to cultural variation in language. They present a case study of the linguistic realization of the cultural model of community in African English as an exemplar for the investigation of cultural models in other varieties of English. Corpus-linguistic methods are combined with conceptual metaphor analysis and blending theory to elucidate a vast network of conceptualizations salient to speakers of African English. The findings, based on computer corpora and a range of additional sources, are discussed against the background of work in anthropology, religious studies, and political science. The book also reflects on the role of English in intercultural communication and concludes with a comparison of Cognitive Linguistics and pragmatic functionalism, placing the former in the wider framework of a hermeneutic philosophy that stresses dialogic understanding.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

List of abbreviations

Preface

1. Approaches to world Englishes: Paradigms, positions, and perspectives

1.1. Cognitive Linguistics and the study of world Englishes

1.2. The world Englishes paradigm

1.3. The Cognitive Linguistic paradigm and the study of language variation

1.4. Scope, methodology, and empirical basis of our study

2. The cultural model of community in African English: A comparative account

2.1. Analytical tools: Conceptual metaphor, cultural models, conceptual networks

2.2. Aspects of the African community model

2.3. Interim summary

2.4. The African community model and politics

2.5. Summary and implications of the analysis

3. Reflections on the study of intercultural communication

3.1. Arguments for a hermeneutic approach to the study ofintercultural communication

3.2. Foci of a hermeneutic approach to intercultural communication and a critique of functionalist positions

3.3. Intercultural understanding and the problem of relativism

3.4. Concluding remarks

Backmatter

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [227]-273) and index.

ISBN:

9786612073120

9781282073128

1282073125

9783110199222

311019922X

OCLC:

646803409