What is it about?
It is tempting to interpret the 'cognitive' in 'cognitive linguistics' in purely psychological terms. Then cognitive linguistics is about language as it is represented in the mind. But there is an alternative interpretation, in which cognitive linguistics is 'cognitive' because it looks at language as an instrument for organizing, processing, and conveying information. And that instrument is a socially shared one: it does not belong to an individual alone. The paper presents the arguments for this position and explores its consequences.
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Why is it important?
Over the past fifteen years, a number of people have taken a 'social turn' in the field of cognitive linguistics, but at the same time, there is still an unclarity about what this implies and how it relates to a more psychological approach. As such, it is useful to spell out the theoretical, methodological, philosophical differences between the positions.
Perspectives
I have been a long-standing proponent of Cognitive Sociolinguistics and a social conception of Cognitive Linguistics. Writing this article gave me an opportunity to wrap up and deepen the motivation behind that position.
Dirk Geeraerts
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
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This page is a summary of: The sociosemiotic commitment, Cognitive Linguistics, January 2016, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1515/cog-2016-0058.
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