RT list: THE COMMUNICATIVE MIND – New publication in the cognitive humanities

 the origin of language to binding in perception, Brandt’s book brings the scope and applicability of Conceptual Integration Theory into the arena of scientific debate. The Communicative Mind takes on a host of interrelated theories in cognitive linguistics and based on its in-depth critique of the examined ideas proposes a multifaceted outlook on how language is shaped by the intersubjectivity of interacting cognizers: * semantics & pragmatics: the grounding of language in a context of dialogue * fictive interaction in rhetoric and grammar

 * fictive motion & change

 * the concept of mental spaces in relation to philosophy, neural binding, metaphor, syntax

 * a typology of conceptual integration

 * the notion of relevance in meaning construction

 * cognitive approaches to literary studies * reading and interpretation of literary text * semiotic iconicity in poetry: a typology Preview available: http://www.amazon.com/The-Communicative-Mind-Exploration-Construction/dp/1443841447   •   The Communicative Mind represents an extensive and highly original contribution to a cognitive theory of meaning within the emerging paradigm of cognitive semiotics (aiming at combining theories and methods from the cognitive sciences and the humanities) by articulating a synthesis of hitherto unconnected traditions in linguistics and semiotics: enunciation theory and cognitive linguistics, as well as bringing in insights from phenomenology and neuroscience. It resituates meaning construction in its actual, social or intersubjective contexts, and thus avoids the limitations of a reductive analysis focusing on the processing of “linguistic stimuli”. The theoretical framework is applied to investigations of fictive interaction, fiction and poetry, thereby showing its value for cognitive poetics. In sum, the book is an excellent illustration of the present “cognitive turn” in the humanities, without falling into the reductionist pitfall, since it
 highlights the essential roles of human subjectivity and sociality.    Jordan Zlatev, Professor of General Linguistics at Lund University, author of Situated Embodiment, co-editor of The Shared Mind and Moving Ourselves, Moving Others       •   Brandt brings together a remarkably diverse set of methodologies to elucidate the ways in which language depicts conceptualizers and enunciation. This work shows us new and useful directions in analyzing literary texts as complex subjective networks of mental spaces – and challenges psychologists and neuroscientists to tackle cognitive complexities which are at present beyond them.   Eve Sweetser, Professor of Linguistics at UC Berkeley, author of From Etymology to Pragmatics: Metaphorical and Cultural Aspects of Semantic Structure, co-author of Mental Spaces in Grammar: Conditional Constructions   •   The Communicative Mind presents the semiotics community with one of the most original investigations into the relationship between cognition and language in recent memory. Brandt’s study covers topics as diverse as syntactic constituents, fictivity and other non-actual construal of events, acts, and relations, as well as enunciation in literature and poetry. Her treatment of these topics is so rich and provocative that it will influence generations of scholars and researchers working at the intersections of cognitive science, phenomenology, and linguistic pragmatics.   Todd Oakley, Professor and Chair of Cognitive Science, Case Western Reserve University, author of Elements of Attention: A New Approach to Meaning Construction in the Human Sciences, co-editor of Mental Spaces in Discourse and Interaction   • The book consists of five main chapters divided into three parts: Part IChapter One............................................................................. 45 Enunciation: Aspects of Subjectivity in Meaning Construction Part II   Chapter Two............................................................................. 115 The Subjective Conceptualizer: Non-actuality in Construal 2.1 A Semiotic Approach to Fictive Interaction as a Representational Strategy in Communicative Meaning Construction 2.2 Subjectivity in the Act of Representing: The Case for Subjective Motion and Change   Chapter Three............................................................................ 199 Conceptual Integration in Semiotic Meaning Construction 3.1 Mental Spaces and Meaning 3.1.1 Mental Spaces and Linguistic Meaning 3.1.2 A Cognitive-Semiotic Approach to Conceptual Integration: Blending in Metaphor 3.1.3 The Gravedigging Metaphor 3.2 Conceptual Integration Typologies 3.2.1 The Applicability of Conceptual Integration Theory: A Discussion 3.2.2 Conceptual Integrations: A typology Part III Chapter Four............................................................................. 425 Meaning Construction in Literary Text 4.1 Literary Studies in the Age of Cognitive Science 4.2 Cognitive Poetics from a Semiotic Perspective: A Stratified Model for Reading and Interpretation 4.3 Explosive Integrations: Women, Fire, and Dangerous Liaisons   Chapter Five.............................................................................. 541 Effects of Poetic Enunciation: Seven Types of Iconicity About the author: Line Brandt is an interdisciplinary scholar, teacher, translator, and editor of literary and academic books and journals. She holds a Doctorate degree in cognitive semiotics and a Master's degree in philosophy and English. Brandt is a former Fulbright recipient and co-founder of Cognitive Semiotics – Multidisciplinary Journal of Meaning and Mind. Her publications include translations of literature and literary theory (works include My Life by L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poet Lyn Hejinian), an introduction to the field of Cognitive Poetics (Kognitiv Poetik, edited volume, 2009), and academic papers on topics in cognitive linguistics and philosophy.
Received on Wed Jun 5 19:53:01 2013