Language, Culture, and Knowledge in Context - A Functional-Cognitive Approach - Brian Nolan

Language, Culture, and Knowledge in Context - A Functional-Cognitive Approach - Brian Nolan

Language and Culture

Language, Culture, and Knowledge in Context - A Functional-Cognitive Approach - Brian Nolan

Brian Nolan [+-]
Technological University Dublin (retired)
Dr. Brian Nolan is a retired Head of School of Informatics and Engineering at the Technological University Dublin, in Ireland. His research interests include linguistic theory at the morpho-syntactic semantic interface, argument structure and valence, constructions in grammar, event structure in language, the architecture of the lexicon and computational approaches to language processing, computational linguistics, speech act theory, context and common ground. His linguistic work has been in the functional linguistic model of Role and Reference Grammar and he has published extensively internationally. In 2012 Dr. Nolan published his book with Equinox on the linguistic structure of Irish in a Role and Reference Grammar account entitled The structure of Modern Irish: A functional account. In 2013, Benjamins published his co-edited volume Linking constructions into functional linguistics – The role of constructions in grammar in their Studies in Language Companion series. His co-edited Benjamin volume on computational linguistics and linguistic theory, Language processing and grammars: The role of functionally oriented computational models was published in 2014, also in their Studies in Language Companion series. He also co-edited a Benjamins book on ‘Causation, transfer and permission’ in linguistic theory, which appeared in early 2015. In January 2017, Benjamins published his co-edited book on complex predication entitled Argument realisation in complex predicates and complex events: Verb verb constructions at the syntax semantic interface. In 2019, Dr. Nolan co-edited a volume with Cambridge Scholars Publishing on the ‘Linguistic perspectives on the construction of meaning and knowledge: The linguistic, pragmatic, ontological and computational dimensions’.

Description

In Chapter 2, Language and culture, we examine a number of approaches to characterising language. We argue that language is a tool that can be put to many useful and creative tasks, and that the things in the world, entities and actions, are reflected in language. We mentioned already that language allows us to communicate regarding the 'things' of interest to a community. In this sense, language can be considered as a cognitive instrument for capturing the shared knowledge ontology of a speech community. Also examined is the notion of culture, and how one might seek to define it in some appropriate way. Culture is quite an abstract, and complex, term that has been defined in many ways over the years. However, there is still no unifying definition of culture. Typically, culture is considered to concern the beliefs, values, rules, norms, symbols, and traditions that are common to a group of people.

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Citation

Nolan, Brian . Language and Culture. Language, Culture, and Knowledge in Context - A Functional-Cognitive Approach. Equinox eBooks Publishing, United Kingdom. p. 15-42 Mar 2022. ISBN 9781800501928. https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/view-chapter/?id=41894. Date accessed: 25 Apr 2024 doi: 10.1558/equinox.41894. Mar 2022

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