“Construction Grammar: Creativity, Multimodality, Metaphor“
In this seminar we will explore what construction grammar is – namely, as a cognitive linguistic theory that treats syntactic form and semantic meaning as inseparable – and how it works as a method of linguistic and literary analysis. We will first focus on contemporary English as a case study language (Hilpert 2014). Following this introduction, we will look at how the theories and methods of construction grammar can be applied in several areas of particular importance in literary studies. We will consider how metaphor and other forms of figurative language interact with grammar (Sullivan 2013) as well as traditional aspects of stylistics such as viewpoint (Nikiforidou 2010). We will then expand beyond the spoken and written word to multimodal, visual and gestural expression (Dancygier & Vandelanotte 2017; Zima & Bergs 2017). We will also learn how constructional analysis can be applied to genre and discourse (Nikiforidou 2018; Östman 2005), and conclude with a study of creativity (Boas 2016; Turner 2018).
Students in English Literature, English Language, and Linguistics – as well as anyone else interested in cognitive linguistics – are all invited to join us. The course does not assume prior experience with syntactic theory, although a basic knowledge of English grammar will be useful. Literature students will gain a new framework for close reading and analysis of stylistics, as well as the linguistic fundamentals necessary to study the interaction of grammar and meaning in any modern English text. Linguistics students specializing in syntax and/or semantics will benefit from the opportunity to learn about cognitive linguistics in general as a subfield of linguistics, and will have the opportunity to explore other topics within cognitive linguistics as they arise throughout the course material (e.g. frame semantics, conceptual metaphor theory). For their final term papers, students may choose to apply what they have learned in an analysis of a text (e.g., for literature students), or to produce a construction grammar sketch of a linguistic phenomenon in a language they are currently studying (e.g., for linguistics students).
Works Cited / Selected Readings
- Boas, H. C. (2016). Frames and constructions for the study of oral poetics. In Antovic, M., & Cánovas, C. P. (Eds.). Oral Poetics and Cognitive Science (pp 99-124). de Gruyter.
- Dancygier, B., & Vandelanotte, L. (2017). Internet memes as multimodal constructions. Cognitive Linguistics, 28(3), 565-598.
- Hilpert, M. (2014). Construction grammar and its application to English. Edinburgh University Press.
- Nikiforidou, K. (2010). Viewpoint and construction grammar: The case of past+ now. Language and Literature, 19(3), 265-284.
- Nikiforidou, K. (2018). Genre and constructional analysis. Pragmatics & Cognition, 25(3), 543-575.
- Östman, J.-O. (2005). Construction Discourse: a prolegomenon. In Östman, J.-O. & Fried, M. (Eds.). Construction Grammars: Cognitive grounding and theoretical extensions (pp. 121-144). John Benjamins Publishing.
- Sullivan, K. (2013). Frames and constructions in metaphoric language. John Benjamins Publishing.
- Turner, M. (2018). The role of creativity in multimodal Construction Grammar. Zeitschrift für Anglistik und Amerikanistik, 66(3), 357-370.
- Zima, E., & Bergs, A. (2017). Multimodality and construction grammar. Linguistics Vanguard, 3(s1).