Cognitive Sociolinguistics

This volume is intended to be a contribution to the rapidly growing field of research into Cognitive Sociolinguistics which draws on the convergence of methods and theoretical frameworks typically associated with Cognitive Linguistics and Sociolinguistics. The papers in this volume, written by internationally renowned scholars in the fields of sociolinguistics (e.g. Labov) and cognitive sociolinguistics, seek to explore and systematize the key theoretical and epistemological bases for the emergence of this socio-cognitive paradigm. More specifically, the papers, originally published in Review of Cognitive Linguistics 10:2 (2012), focus on terms and concepts which are foundational to the discussion of Cognitive Sociolinguistics such as the role of cognition in the sociolinguistic enterprise; the social recontextualization of cognition; variability in cognitive systems; usage-based conceptions of language; pragmatic variation and cultural models of thought; cultural conceptualizations and lexicography as well as cognitive processing models and perceptual dialectology. All the papers are anchored in instrumental empirical data analysis.
The volume provides a welcome contribution to the field for anyone interested in Cognitive Linguistics and its new developments. The seven papers included in this book were originally presented at the 34th International LAUD Symposium on Cognitive Sociolinguistics, which took place in March 2010 at the University of Koblenz-Landau (Germany).

Ronald W. Langacker, University of San Diego:
Since their very inception, Cognitive Linguistics and Cognitive Grammar have explicitly recognized the fundamental role of social, cultural, and interactive factors. Yet because this recognition has been more a matter of principle than actual practice, the full potential for the mutual enrichment of descriptive-theoretical concerns on the one hand, and sociolinguistic investigation on the other hand, has only begun to be realized. This volume on Cognitive Sociolinguistics points the way toward their meaningful integration. The contributions combine a keen awareness of higher-level issues with the insight that only comes with immersion in the details of usage and variation. One can only be impressed by the quality of the research, the variety of questions addressed, and the range of empirical methods employed.