Abstraktit - Oulu

1. POTTER, JONATHAN – DISCOURSE AND COGNITION:
ISSUES OF INTERACTION AND ONTOLOGY
Loughborough University
Key words:
Classically questions of language and mind have focused on the relation between
two domains – the cognitive and the discursive. Indeed, much contemporary social
science presupposes some form of cognitivism in which one domain acts on the
other; discourse is often treated as primarily the expression of thoughts, intentions
or beliefs. Cognitivism has been subject to powerful conceptual critiques from
linguistic philosophers and ethnomethodologists. However, the current paper
discusses the implications of contemporary developments in conversation analysis
and discursive psychology. These have begun to flesh out a very different way of
understanding the nature of cognition which starts from an understanding of the
practical tasks facing language users and the way issues of understanding, shared
knowledge, stance and emotion become live within particular settings. The
presentation will be illustrated with examples of tag questions and emotion in a
child protection helpline. Such research raises profound questions about cognitive
ontology and the future development of cognitive science.
References:
KIELITIETEEN PÄIVÄT 24.–25.5.2007 7 / 155
OULU