Cognitive linguists are bound by the cognitive commitment, which is the commitment to providing a characterization of the general principles governing all aspects of human language, in a way that is informed by, and accords with, what is known about the brain and mind from other disciplines. But what do we know about aspects of cognition that are relevant for theories of language? Which insights can help us build cognitive reality into our descriptive practice and move linguistic theorizing forward? This unique study integrates research findings from across the cognitive sciences to generate insights that challenge the way in which frequency has been interpreted in usage-based linguistics. It answers the fundamental questions of why frequency of experience has the effect it has on language development, structure and representation, and what role psychological and neurological explorations of core cognitive processes can play in developing a cognitively more accurate theoretical account of language.

‘This book is a compendium of concepts, theories and practices at the intersection of cognitive linguistics, corpus linguistics, quantitative linguistics, computational linguistics, psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics, and the like … students and teachers of cognitive linguistics, corpus linguistics, quantitative linguistics, computational linguistics, psycholinguistics, and neurolinguistics should read.’

Mayowa Akinlotan Source: LINGUIST List

‘This book presents a critical overview of language learning research, drawing attention to insights from experimental and corpus-based work as well as some of the challenges that lay ahead in understanding cognition and language learning. A key strength of this book is the way that it presents a clear and accessible account of usage-based approaches to understanding language structure, language learning, and language use. This work has important theoretical and methodological contributions for the field.’

Kevin McManus - Recommended reading mentioned in Crosslinguistic Influence and Second Language Learning

‘This eloquently written book brings to the front a foundational property of human language, our sensitivity to the frequency distribution of linguistic items. The work further discusses how this property serves as the atomistic component of several key cognitive abilities, making the book an essential read for a modern, probability-based understanding of human cognition.’

Neguine Rezaii - Harvard Medical School