Purpose

The purpose of DGKL/GCLA (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kognitive Linguistik/German Cognitive Linguistics Association) is to promote Cognitive Linguistics at the national and international levels. The association supports research and education in Cognitive Linguistics and the application of its results, in particular:

• contacts and cooperation among its members,
• the development of research projects,
• the development of curricula and international graduate and doctoral programs,
• the organization of national and international conferences and workshops.

Cognitive linguistics

Cognitive Linguistics rejects a modular view of language, i.e. the hypothesis that language, especially syntax, forms an autonomous system acquired through a specialized innate module of the human mind and functioning according to its own rules and principles. In contrast, Cognitive Linguistics proposes that language is grounded in, and thus at least partially motivated by, non-linguistic cognitive and perceptual systems. The theoretical and methodological tenets of Cognitive Linguistics include:

• Language is a sign system, i.e. a symbolic system of conventional pairings of form and meaning/use both on the lexical and the constructional levels.
• The study of linguistic meaning is equivalent to that of conceptual structure. Meaning is largely shaped by e.g. image schemas, conceptual metaphors, conceptual metonymies, and conceptual blends. Meaning is grounded in human experience (embodied) and cultural practice.
• Language acquisition can be accounted for without assuming a rich innate knowledge base (universal grammar).
• Linguistic descriptions and explanations should not (exclusively) be based on introspection but on authentic language (i.e. usage-based).

Members

Membership in the association is open to everyone who is committed to its aims as well as to its basic theoretical and methodological tenets. GCLA/DGKL is affiliated with the International Cognitive Linguistics Association (ICLA).

Other Cognitive Linguistics Associations

The DGKL/GCLA is an affiliate of the International Cognitive Linguistics Association (ICLA). Other ICLA affiliates are:

• The Argentinian Cognitive Linguistics Association (AALiCO)
  
• The Spanish Cognitive Linguistics Association (AELCO-SCOLA)
• The Finnish Cognitive Linguistes Association (FiCLA)
• The Slavic Cognitive Linguistics Association (SCLA)
• The Polish Cognitive Linguistics Association (PTJK/PCLA)
• The Russian Cognitive Linguists Association (RCLA/RALK)
• The German Cognitive Linguistics Association/Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kognitive Linguistik (GCLA/DGKL)
• The Discourse and Cognitive Linguistic Society of Korea (DISCOG)
• Association Française de Linguistique Cognitive (AFLiCo)
• The Japanese Cognitive Linguistics Association (JCLA)
• The Conceptual Structure, Discourse and Language Association (CSDLA)
• The UK Cognitive Linguistics Association (UK-CLA)
• The Scandinavian Association for Language and Cognition (SALC)
• The Chinese Cognitive Linguistics Association (CCLA)
• The Belgium Netherlands Cognitive Linguistics Association (BeNeCLA)
• The Norwegian Cognitive Linguistics Association (NORKOG)
• The Estonian Cognitive Linguistics Association (ECLA)