Open AccessA new look at word classes in Cognitive Grammar
Author(s) -
Cristiano Broccias
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
jezikoslovlje
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.136
H-Index - 6
eISSN - 1848-9001
pISSN - 1331-7202
DOI - 10.29162/jez.2021.8
Subject(s) - cognitive grammar , linguistics , grammar , relation (database) , categorization , negation , verb , cognition , word (group theory) , relevance (law) , scrutiny , computer science , psychology , philosophy , theology , neuroscience , political science , law , database
Langacker’s CognitiveGrammar aims to offer a conceptual characterization of word classes. Pivotal tothis endeavor is the distinction between a “thing” and a “relation” as well asthe claim that relations can be scanned either sequentially or summarily. Thedifference between the two scanning modes is essential to separate, forexample, enter as a finite verb fromthe dynamic preposition into . In thispaper, the debate on the status and relevance of the two scanning modes isrevisited and the very notion of relation is subjected to close scrutiny, thusrevealing its potentially problematic nature. A new way of looking at wordclasses based on the notions of evolving vs. non-evolving categorizationsequences, extrinsicality vs. intrinsicality, and anchorability is developed,which constitutes a radical departure from Cognitive Grammar despite beingcompatible with its fundamental assumptions.