Applying Cognitive Linguistics to Second Language Learning and Teaching

Cognitive linguistics is a relatively new discipline which is rapidly becoming mainstream and influential, particularly in the area of second language teaching. This book looks at how cognitive linguistics can inform our teaching, and lead to intriguing suggestions for alternative ways of presenting grammar and vocabulary in the language classroom.

Table of Contents:
List of Tables and Figures Acknowledgements Introduction 'I see less of the surroundings. The story feels different'. Construal and Second Language Learning More on Categories: Words, Morphemes, Parts of Speech, 'Grammar rules' and Phonological Features as Radial Categories More about Spinsters and their Cats. Encyclopaedic Knowledge and Second Language Learning 'Eyebrow heads' and 'yummy mummies' Metaphor and Second Language Learning 'Jane Austen's on the ground floor' … or is she? Metonymy and Second Language Learning What Have Bees, Macaque Monkeys and Humans got in Common? Embodied Cognition, Gesture and Second Language Learning 'Loud suits' and 'sharp cheese' 'Motivated language' and Second Language Learning 'Brian sent Antarctica a walrus' Construction Grammars and Second Language Learning Conclusion Index Endnotes References

About the Author :
JEANNETTE LITTLEMORE is a Senior Lecturer in the School of English, Drama, American and Canadian Studies at the University of Birmingham, UK. Her research interests lie in the applications of Cognitive Linguistics to second language learning and teaching, and in the teaching of metaphor to second language learners. She is co-author, with Graham D. Low, of Figurative Thinking and Foreign Language Learning.

Review :
'Jeannette Littlemore's new book is the first comprehensive monograph dealing with the application of Cognitive Linguistics (CL) to the area of second language learning/ teaching. Here the key lies in understanding how the target language cognitive system works, and how it differs from the learner's first language system. Throughout the chapters, the author brings to light a number of key concepts of CL such as construal, categorization, encyclopaedic knowledge, metaphor, metonymy, embodiment and especially linguistic motivation, and considers the pedagogical implications that all of this has for the foreign language classroom. This fascinating account, written in a clear and concise style, will undoubtedly make the reader recognize that cognitively learning another language will often involve learning to see things in a different way, both physically and linguistically. Jeannette Littlemore must be congratulated on achieving this ambitious goal.' Martin Pütz, University of Koblenz, Germany 'Jeannette Littlemore has masterfully weaved together various threads of Cognitive Linguistics that are particularly relevant for language pedagogy. The result is a very coherent and accessible synopsis of over thirty years of work, covering areas ranging from vocabulary to grammar, from figuration to pragmatics, and from intonation to gestures. Equally impressive as the scope of the book is the way Littlemore points out numerous avenues for further research, in effect providing pedagogy-oriented cognitive linguists with a to-do list for the coming decades. All this makes Applying Cognitive Linguistics to Second Language Learning and Teaching a valuable source of information and inspiration for applied linguists as well as teachers and course developers.' - Frank Boers, Erasmus University, Rotterdam