Cognitive Linguistics 

Cognitive Linguistics (CL) is a relatively recent but rapidly growing field of study that has become increasingly influential in linguistics, language acquisition, and related disciplines. As an alternative theoretical framework to the Chomskyan paradigm, CL offers a different perspective on the nature of language and its relationship to cognition and experience. Rather than viewing language as an autonomous and innate system, CL emphasizes the role of meaning, usage, and embodied experience in shaping linguistic knowledge.

A central assumption of CL is that language emerges from repeated interactions with the physical and social environment and is therefore fundamentally usage-based. From this perspective, linguistic structure is seen as the product of general cognitive processes, and language, communication, and cognition are viewed as deeply interconnected and mutually inseparable. These assumptions have important implications for how language learning and use are understood.

Building on these insights, research informed by CL has increasingly explored its applications to second language teaching and learning, as well as second language acquisition more broadly. This line of work examines how meaning-based instruction, conceptualization, and usage patterns can support more effective language learning.