Cognitive Linguistics: Looking back, looking forward

Abstract: Since its conception, Cognitive Linguistics as a theory of language has
been enjoying ever increasing success worldwide. With quantitative growth
has come qualitative diversification, and within a now heterogeneous field,
different – and at times opposing – views on theoretical and methodological
matters have emerged. The historical “prototype” of Cognitive Linguistics may
be described as predominantly of mentalist persuasion, based on introspection,
specialized in analysing language from a synchronic point of view, focused on
West-European data (English in particular), and showing limited interest in the
social and multimodal aspects of communication. Over the past years, many
promising extensions from this prototype have emerged. The contributions
selected for the Special Issue take stock of these extensions along the cognitive,
social and methodological axes that expand the cognitive linguistic object of
inquiry across time, space and modality.