Cognitive Linguistic Approaches to Text and Discourse

'Written by top scholars in cognitive stylistics, poetics, and critical discourse analysis, this groundbreaking collection shows the true breadth and potential of a "usage-based'' framework.'
Barbara Dancygier, University of British Columbia
Extends the territory of cognitive linguistics beyond the language system to consider texts and discourse in the traditions of cognitive stylistics and cognitive critical discourse analysis.
Analysing a range of genres, including novels, poems, health forums, holiday guestbooks, prayers, political songs and news stories, each chapter applies frameworks in Cognitive Linguistics to shed light on the meanings and meaning-making processes invoked when we encounter texts. The book presents new insights into the workings of textual phenomena such as metaphor, viewpoint and deixis but also sheds light on more elusive, epiphenomenal qualities such as atext's ambience, atmosphere, power, ideology or persuasiveness. The book takes
new strides in cognitive text analysis by exploiting experimental and ethnographic methods to empirically investigate readers' reception of, and resistance to, texts.
Key features
. Contributions from scholars across cognitive stylistics and cognitive critical discourse analysis
. Texts analysed include Percy Shelly's 'A Summer Evening Churchyard', Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch, the Lord's Prayer, and Bruce Springsteen's 'The Rising'
. Applies a range of Cognitive Linguistic frameworks including Conceptual Metaphor Theory, Text World Theory and Cognitive Grammar
Christopher Hart is Professor of Linguistics at Lancaster University.
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ISBN 978-1-4744-4998-4
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