Cognitive Linguistics: Reflection and Prospect

Social Sciences in China Review

No.3, 2018

Cognitive Linguistics: Reflection and Prospect（Abstract）

Wen Xu and Si Weiguo

As a new linguistic research paradigm in the field of international theoretical linguistics, cognitive linguistics has made remarkable achievements both in theory and in practice after nearly 40 years of development and it has become multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary. At the same time, however, the theoretical basis and analytical methods of cognitive linguistics have received a lot of criticism. In recent years, an increasing number of cognitive linguists have begun to make self-reflections on and criticism of the theory and its application, which, unfortunately, are fragmental to some extent, and some even miss the point. Constructive reflections and criticism can only be made after the thread of development and status quo of this linguistics has been clarified. In this context, this article tries to reexamine its flaws and its development trend on the basis of briefly reviewing its history.