讲座题目：The cognitive and the social in first andsecond language acquisition
主讲嘉宾：Prof. Chris Sinha
讲座时间：2017年4月25日（周二）下午2:30-4:30
讲座地点：浙江大学紫金港校区东五-201（东）
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Abstract:
In this lecture I will begin by contrasting different answers to the question “What is language”?
The answers generally given are: that language is a formal system; that language is a vehicle for communication; that language is a means for the expression and (maybe) shaping of thought; that language is an input to a self-contained learning system; that language is a biocultural niche.
Each of these answers implies a different approach to understanding both first and second language acquisition. In my research in first language acquisition, I have emphasized the importance of social and cultural processes in the development of language and cognition. This work, as well as my work on other topics in linguistics and psychology, has been part of what has been termed the “social turn” in cognitive linguistics. This involves rethinking not only the acquisition process from an interactional perspective, but also human cognition itself as a fundamentally social, and socially developed, capacity. Forerunners of this approach can be found in (for example) the socio-cultural psychology of Vygotsky and the cultural linguistics of Boas.It is from the interweaving of these perspectives in contemporary theories of language and cognition that a social-cognitive and cultural approach to first and second language acquisition can be developed.However, I will stress that there are differences as well as issues in common between first and second language acquisition. I will conclude by briefly addressing the relationship between qualitative and quantitative methods in the language sciences.
Prof. Chris Sinha is currently a Distinguished Professor of Cognitive Science at the College of Foreign Languages of Hunan University. He obtained a PhD Degree (cum laude) from the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands, in 1988. Prior to his current appointment, Professor Sinha taught in departments of Education, Psychology, and Language and Communication in Brazil, Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, India, and Sweden, including two previous positions at Faculty full professor rank and the position of Head of the Department of Psychology at the University of Portsmouth, 2002-2005. He is the former President of the UK and of the International Cognitive Linguistics Association;General Editor of the journal Language and Cognition; and a member of three international journal editorial boards and four book series editorial boards. Professor Sinha has authored 2 monographs and 130+ articles, and edited 4 volumes, and has been the Principal Investigator of variousfunded projects in China, Denmark, and the United Kingdom.
外语学院
2017年4月17日
