Cognition in context

As cognitive scientists continue to probe into the nature of the human mind, it is increasingly clear that research into cognition cannot be dissociated from the context in which our mental activity occurs. The papers collected in this book testify to the growing interest in adopting a broad characterisation of what counts as relevant context. The vices of seeking essences behind complex phenomena should not go unnoticed, the primary, and possibly the most crucial, downside of this approach being a reductionist treatment of the human mind. With this book, the authors want to show that humans are not merely brains, minds, speakers, learners, readers, etc., but, first and foremost, complex beings who communicate within and beyond the contexts of their own cultures.

Enrique Bernárdez is professor of linguistics (ret.) at the Complutense University, Madrid, Spain. He has worked for many years on textlinguistics, linguistic typology and the relations between culture and language. He is also active in translation, especially from Icelandic and Danish into Spanish.

Joanna Jabłońska-Hood, PhD, is an assistant professor at the Department of English at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, Poland. Her academic interest focuses on cognitive linguistics, conceptual integration theory, and humour studies, especially with regard to British humour.

Katarzyna Stadnik, PhD, is an assistant professor at the Department of English at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, Poland. She has published on cognitive and cultural linguistics, as well as cognitive approaches to medieval and contemporary literature.