construal |
Working Definition:
construe: to encode expressions (e.g., to combine words) in an effort to interpret a situation.
To construct meaning by retrieving from one ’s memory systems past experiences that can be blended into an understanding of expressions (significations).Disciplinary Definitions:
"There is a long tradition in linguistics encapsulating the belief that the role of language is to map elements of the external world onto linguistic form. According to this view, situations can be dissected into a number of component parts, each of which corresponds to some element of language, so that mapping from the external world to language is a relatively straightforward operation. Essentially, it involves a one-to-one encoding of the elements of the situation into linguistic structure, this process being governed by formal rules of grammar.
In contrast, cognitive linguists argue that there is no such direct mapping. Instead, they claim, a particular situation can be 'construed' in different ways, and that different ways of encoding a situation constitute different conceptualisations." (Lee, Cognitive Linguistics, 2004. 2)
cognitive linguists argue that … a particular situation can be 'construed' in different ways, and that different ways of encoding a situation constitute different conceptualisations. Conside4 for example, the contrast between (1) and (2).John gave the book to Mary.John gave Mary the book. The traditional view is that these sentences express the same meaning—that the syntactic (structural) difference has no correspondence in semantics. One reflex of this view is the fact that in some variants of generative grammar the two sentences are 'derived' (by formal rules) from the same underlying structure, implying that the difference between them is one of form rather than substance. However, there are a number of indications that this view is incorrect. One such piece of evidence has to do with the fact that in some cases only one of these constructions is natural. For example, although John gave the fence a new coat of paint is unremarkable, it would be odd to say ?John gave a new coat of paint to the fence (Langacker 1990: 14). Conversely, whereas He brought the wine to the table is fine, the sentence ?He brought the table the wine is strange.1 These differences suggest that the two constructions illustrated in (1) and (2) involve different ways of construing `the same situation' and that in certain cases only one mode of construal is appropriate or natural. Lee, Cognitive Linguistics, 2Comments:
Given construal has the following aspects: perception, knowledge base, perspective & highlighting, imaging, metaphor, and framing: If the aspects of construal are compared to the aspects of configuration (the outcomes of configuring) .................E.G. Foucault's panopticon, THEN construal and configure DO NOT refer to a similar mode of cognition (if we take a normative view of construal). The difference is in the structuring of the experience. Whereas normal construal imposes past experience on present experience to derive recognition (Langacker, Foundations of Cognitive Grammar, 2002, 194), configuring transposes past experience by assuming a non-normative perspective inside another person's consciousness. So configuring is a type of construal. Further whereas normative construal is expressed in "statements," configuring is expressed in narrative forms. Configuring is a "narrative" construal of experience that includes transpositioning..
| CONSTRUAL | CONFIGURING |
| perception (visual) | recognizing |
| particular knowledge base (memory systems) | recalling |
| perspective & highlighting | feeling (identification) |
| imaging | imagining |
| metaphor (imposing) | transposing |
| framing | projecting |
Notes
"The concepts introduced in this chapter do not constitute an arbitrary set. Their interrelationship stems from the central role in Cognitive Linguistics of the notion of construal. The notions of perspective, highlighting, and framing constitute different aspects of that process, while metaphor is an important medium through which a particular 'imaging' (Langacker, Foundations of Cognitive Grammar 1990: 5) is imposed on a given scene. In interaction with each other, these notions have significant implications for an understanding of the nature of communication. In particular, they suggest that meaning is not a property of utterances but a product of the interaction between an utterance and a human being's `knowledge base'—an idea that introduces an important relativist dimension to the process of interpretation. This view of language and interpretation brings linguistic theory much closer to related disciplines such as ethnography and cultural studies than do formally based approaches." Lee, Cognitive Linguistics, 2004. 12)
"For Schleiermacher every expression must be referred to an active generative source in the human mind, not simply to a set of formal rules of composition." (Ermarth, Wilhelm Dilthey , 1981, 244) NOTE HOW CLOSELY THIS FOLLOWS LEE'S REMARKS -- see Lee, Cognitive Linguistics, 2004. 1. Erlebnis & Ausdruck , Füling, Nachbild, Nachlebe, Schichhineinversetzen, and Einfüling. I employ the parallel terms used in CS, rendering these features as cognitive activities. In this study, configuring has six corresponding features: recognizing, feeling, recalling, imagining, transposing, and projecting. (See configuring.)
Check:
L sees problem solving as a cog operation appropriate to the creation of a new ling structure. It's a problem of coding. This is germane to Configuring & exp transfers. (Langacker, Foundations of Cognitive Grammar, 2002, 65-6)
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last revised:
June 13, 2007
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