Introducing Language and Cognition: A Map of the Mind

Description

In this accessible introduction, Mike Sharwood Smith provides a working model or 'map' of the mind, with language as its centrepiece. Drawing on cutting-edge research across linguistics, psychology and neuroscience, it allows students to quickly grasp how each separate aspect of the mind's operations can be related. This 'big picture' view includes the way the mind makes, stores and loses memories of all kinds as well how its various 'expert systems' combine and collaborate to solve, typically beyond our conscious awareness, the myriad of tasks we are faced with every minute and millisecond of our existence. The book also focuses on language, that is, the mind of monolingual, bilingual and multilingual speakers. It will be of interest to all students wishing to learn more about the complex relationship between language - one of the most important ways in which we define ourselves as human - and the mind.

Mike Sharwood Smith is an Emeritus Professor at Heriot-Watt University and an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the University of Edinburgh. He has worked in many countries across the world, teaching (applied) linguistics, English language and second language acquisition. He has more than a hundred publications and is known for terms such as 'grammatical consciousness-raising', 'crosslinguistic influence' and 'input-enhancement'. His major interests are the cognitive processes underlying the use and acquisition of languages. With John Truscott, he pioneered a crossdisciplinary framework for framing explanations of many diverse aspects of language acquisition. He is also founding editor of the leading journal Second Language Research.

'This wide-ranging book integrates research and theory from different fields and provides a lively, current, and informed description of language from Sharwood Smith's unique perspective on modularity. The book offers much material for advanced students and researchers to discuss and debate crucial issues around language in the mind. It is a welcome addition to research and teaching for everyone working in the language sciences.' Ellen Bialystok, York University