Cognitive Grammar offers a radical alternative to mainstream linguistic theories. This book introduces the theory in clear, non-technical language, relates it to current debates about the nature of linguistic knowledge, and applies it to in-depth analyses of a range of topics in semantics, syntax, morphology, and phonology. Study questions and suggestions for further reading accompany each of the main chapters.

Part 1 Background 1. Cognitive Grammar and Cognitive Linguistics 2. Cognitive Grammar: An Overview 3. The Symbolic Thesis 4. The Symbolic Thesis: Some Questions and Answers 5. Phonological Structure in Cognitive Grammar 6. Semantic Structure in Cognitive Grammar Part 2 Basic concepts 7. Schema and Instance 8. Schema and Instance in Phonology 9. Schema and Instance in Symbolic Units 10. Meaning: Profile, Base, and Domain 11. Nominal and Relational Profiles 12. Syntagmatic Relations: Combining Semantic Units 13. Syntagmatic Relations in Phonology Part 3 Morphology 14. Morphology 15. Analysability and Productivity 16. Schema Competition 17. Kinds of Symbolic Units Part 4 Nouns, Verbs, and Clauses 18. Nouns and Nominals 19. Count nouns and Mass nouns 20. Tense and Aspect 21. Clause Structure Part 5 More on meaning 22. Domains 23. Networks and Complex Categories Part 6 Approaches to Metaphor 24. Metaphor: The Lakovian Approach 25. Jackendorff and Langacker on 'Go' 26. Alternatives to Metaphor Part 7 Idioms and constructions 27. Idioms, Formulas, and Fixed Expressions 28. Constructions References

John R. Taylor , Senior Lecturer in Linguistics, University of Otago, New Zealand