'Quo Vadimus?' from a Cognitive Linguistic Perspective

In: Chinese Semiotic Studies, Band 12, Heft 1, S. 93-116

Abstract

Abstract
In this article, I offer some comments on the general theme "The Study of Linguistic Sign Systems in the 21st Century" of this special issue of CSS and on the individual contributions therein. I comment on topics such as the shift from form to cognition in contemporary linguistics (Zhang & Yu), the faculty of language (Chomsky, Cowley), sign systems and their use by nonhuman organisms (Pable), the nature of the linguistic sign and its indeterminacy (Zhang & Yu, Pable, Liszka, and Cowley). One focus is the debate between "nativists" and "non-nativists", i.e. the question whether the language faculty is inborn or explainable by non-specialized cognitive learning mechanisms. My own conception of language and communication, which is inspired by cognitive linguistics and contemporary pragmatics, regards language as a sign system of conventional form-meaning pairs. Successful human communication requires socio-cultural skills such as cooperative behavior and the ability to infer non-coded meanings.