LMB AN14G3 MA Evening Course Current Trends in Linguistic Theory
Seminar
Instructor: Dr. Kovács Éva
evikov@ektf.hu
Course description
This course is designed to provide some insight into the latest results of linguistic theorizing
in the fields of anthropological linguistics and cognitive linguistics. The topics to be discussed
include the evolution of language, politeness, face and the linguistic construction of
personhood, language and gender; and the nature of cognitive linguistics, metaphor in
cognitive linguistics, universality in metaphorical conceptualization, cross-cultural variation;
within culture variation in metaphor.
Course requirements and assessment
Students give an oral presentation (30%) and write a short essay (70%).
Course Programme
31 October, 14 November
The Evolution of Language (Foley, 45-78)
Politeness, Face and the Linguistic Construction of Personhood (Foley, 261-285)
Language and Gender (Foley, 286-306)
Linguistic Relativity (Foley, 192-214)
28 November, 5 December
The Nature of Cognitive linguistics (Evans & Green 27-53)
Metaphor in Cognitive Linguistics (Cruse and Croft, 193-221; Taylor 487-504)
Universality in Metaphorical Conceptualization (Kövecses, 2005: 35-64)
Cross-Cultural Variation (Kövecses, 2005: 67-87; Within Culture Variation in
Metaphor (Kövecses, 2005: 88-130)
Required Reading: selected chapters from
Croft, W. and D. Alan Cruse. 2004. Cognitive Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.
Evans, Vyvyan and Melanie Green. 2006. Cognitive Linguistics. An Introduction. Edinburgh:
Edinburgh University Press.
Foley, William. A. 1997. Anthropological linguistics. Oxford: Blackwell.
Kövecses, Zoltán. 2005. Metaphor in Culture. Universality and Variation. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Taylor, John R. 2002. Cognitive Grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Suggested Reading
Brown, P. & S. C. Levinson. 1987. Politeness: some universals in language usage.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Duranti, A. 1997. Linguistic Anthropology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kovács, Éva. 2007. Exploring English Phrasal Verbs. Pandora Könyvek 7. Eger: Líceum
Kiadó.
Kövecses, Zoltán. 2002. Metaphor. A Practical Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
McConnell-Ginet, S. 1988. Language and Gender. In Newmeyer F. (ed.) Linguistics: The
Cambridge Survey. Volume IV. Language: The Socio-Cultural Context. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press. 75-99.
Rosaldo, M. Z. & L. Lamphere. 1974. Women, Culture, and Society. Stanford: Stanford
University Press.
Tannen, D. 1990. You just don’t understand. Men and Women in Conversation. New York:
Morrow.
Tallerman, M. 2005. Language Origins: Perspectives on Evolution. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.