A Cognitive Grammar account of sentence types in English

Abstract

This paper provides new insights into sentence types in English, based on Cognitive Grammar. The paper applies three of its theories of meaning to sentence types. One theory is that a linguistic expression is polysemous, having more than one function. On this basis, the paper argues that a sentence type has a wide range of functions that gather around a central function. Another theory is that the meaning of a linguistic expression is best understood in terms of the domain to which it belongs. On this basis, the paper argues that sentence types form sets in which they highlight not only similarity but also difference. A further theory is that the use of a linguistic expression is governed by the particular construal imposed by the speaker on its content. On this basis, the paper argues that the use of a sentence type results from the particular construal the speaker chooses to describe a situation. The aim of the paper is to present a new conception of sentence types, using the tools of Cognitive Grammar. A sentence type has been found to be polysemous in nature, associated with pragmatic functions, and the result of construal imposed on its content. (Kirkuk University)