16Language and the Brain/Mind. Cognitive linguistics vs. Psycholinguistics.

In cognitive linguistics, the center of attention shifts from the Externalized Language (EL) represented with material signs to the Internalized Language (IL), or language as it exists in the mind. The basic notions of cognitive linguistics are the Conceptual Model of the World and the Linguistic Model of the World. The Conceptual Model of the World (CMW) is the totality of concepts – ideas, opinions, beliefs, etc. – existing in the mind and constituting the information system, or the system of our knowledge. The Linguistic Model of the World (LMW) is that part of the CMW which is manifested through linguistic signs. Beyond the LMW are “pure thoughts” that cannot be represented with language, e.g. various practical skills (driving, swimming, etc.), visual cognition, apprehensions. The LMW is presumed to integrate two types of knowledge:

(1) the knowledge of (about) language as a system of signs;

(2) the knowledge in language, i.e. the results of our cognizing the world

that are represented in the meanings of language and speech units.

The most debated question is the relation between these two domains of knowledge: they may be either rather autonomous, as Noam Chomsky maintains; or they may be mapped one upon another – the idea favored by cognitive semantics.

Knowledge of language (linguistic competence) has been described by Noam Chomsky within the framework of Universal Grammar (UG) Theory. The UG, being genetically inbuilt in humans, comprises a number of alternative options that surface in human languages. These options, relevant for the organization of any language, are called the principles. The choice of particular options is triggered from the outside; it depends upon the exposure of a child to the patterns of a particular language. These patterns are called the parameters. Besides Chomsky’s model of UG, there are other models proposed by linguists. Chomsky’s model is the most popular one.

The structures are propositions (пропозиції), frames (фрейми), scripts (скрипти), networks (мережі), etc., with the frame being the most applied conceptual model. A frame is a sort of skeleton, something like an application form with many blanks, or slots, to be filled with the specified information. A frame may be construed by several propositions. Several frames, when linked, form a network. To explain various phenomena of language and speech, cognitive linguistics may apply linguistic and psycholinguistic findings, as well as the insights of other related fields.

Cognitive linguistics is a part of cognitive science. The latter includes a number of disciplines that study the human mind – its organization and work. Some of these disciplines (neuroscience and neurolibguistics, cognitive psychology, psycholinguistics and cognitive linguistics, philosophy and anthropology) are theoretical. They aim to develop appropriate models of information processing in the human mind. The other disciplines (artificial intelligence theory, computer science, and information science) are practical, or technological. Their objective is to simulate the organization and work of the human mind in the computer. These theoretical and practical disciplines constantly interact, sharing their findings and methodologies. In cognitive science, linguistics is considered to be one of the key branches, as its object – the language—provides the most accessible data for the mind studies.