Reviews of “Sharifian, Farzad (2011), Cultural Conceptualisations and

Language: Theoretical Framework and Applications. Philadelphia/Amsterdam: John

Benjamins.”

Review 1) “By drawing on and expanding the theoretical advancements and

analytical tools of a number of disciplines and research paradigms, including

cognitive linguistics, anthropological linguistics, distributed cognition, complexity

science, cognitive psychology, and cognitive anthropology, Sharifian lays solid

theoretical and analytical grounds for what can be recognised as Cultural

Linguistics. Sharifian successfully navigates the reader through a multiplicity of

premises, findings and models of numerous fields of research and analytical

paradigms. These are used as the foundation on which his coherent multidisciplinary

approach builds, utilizing the apparatus of cognitive linguistics in the study of core

areas of/in human communication.[…] The basic merit of the book is that the author,

in his capacity as both an insider (emic) and an objective analyst (etic), takes the

reader on a fascinating journey across a multiplicity of patterns of human interaction

(from responding to compliments to translating highly sensitive political

discourses). Sharifian convincingly illustrates that successful communication

depends, to a very large extent, on the enhanced metacultural competence of the

participants.[…] The volume successfully promotes the development of Cultural

Linguistics as a multidisciplinary theoretical and applied paradigm of linguistic

research. The novelty of the offered approach lies in the comprehensive

harmonization which the author accomplishes in the treatment of problems and

issues that have long haunted the fields of ecolinguistics (Crystal 2000),

ethnolinguistics (Mathiot 1979), anthropological linguistics (Foley 1997; Duranti

2004),cultural linguistics (Palmer 1996), studying cultures through their key words

(Wierbicka 1997) and research on the Sapir-Whorf relativity principle. […] The reader

will spend a few pleasant days delving into the intricacies of a “new linguistic

world opened up by the cultural linguistic perspective. This is not a world to be

exploited so much as it is a world to be appreciated, and, since it is our everyday

world, it is a world desperately in need of mending and healing by greater cross-

cultural understanding and tolerance” (Palmer 1996: 296). Sharifian’s book Cultural

conceptualizations and language is a major step in this direction.” — Alexandra

Bagasheva, in Language and Cognition, Vol. 4:3 (2012), pp. 243-249.

Review 2) “This monograph presents a new theoretical framework for the

explanation and study of cultural conceptualisations and their intimate relationship

with language, and discusses its applications. […] In developing and illustrating his

framework, the author also draws upon disciplines ranging from anthropological

linguistics through to complexity science and cognitive psychology, opening some

intriguing perspectives and implications for the study of linguistic and pragmatic

phenomena within and across cultures […] Sharifian’s approach is impressive as it is

innovative, both in terms of weaving together cutting edge concepts from diverse but

complementary disciplines and its relevance to areas as wide-ranging as Cross

Cultural Pragmatics, Anthropological Linguistics and Cognitive Psychology.[…] This

is an accomplished work that draws upon several exciting and dynamic disciplines to

present new perspectives on the intersection between culture, cognition and

language, with wide-ranging implications.” —Chris Tang, King’s College London, in

Journal of Pragmatics, Vol. 66 (2014), pp. 32-34.

Review 3) “This book develops an exciting and highly innovative theoretical model

that is long overdue. By drawing on what are cutting-edge theoretical concepts in

several disciplines, including cognitive linguistics, it builds a model that successfully

melds together various complementary approaches such as “language as a complex

adaptive system” (LCAS), distributed cognition, and multi-agent systems theory. The

result is a framework that has significant implications for those working in a multitude

of theoretical and applied domains such as cognitive linguistics, cognitive

psychology, cognitive anthropology, anthropological linguistics, intercultural

communication, intercultural pragmatics, and political discourse analysis. The

manuscript is a pioneering work in many senses. It sets forth a valuable new

research initiative which draws on a highly nuanced multi-disciplinarily informed

approach that, in turn, is particularly sensitive to the role of culture in linguistic

choices and perceptions. I highly recommend the book and believe that it is an

excellent way to initiate the series “Cognitive Linguistic Studies in Cultural Contexts”,

for it clearly “demonstrates how language as a subsystem of culture transformatively

interacts with cognition and how cognition at a cultural level is manifested in

language”, as indicated in the description of the book series.” — Roslyn M.

Frank, The University of Iowa.

Review 4) “The volume under discussion brings together a stimulating collection of

articles and book chapters Farzad Sharifian has produced over a period of about

eleven years. This is already a contribution on its own as it offers the readers a fully

developed theoretical background on cultural conceptualisations, cultural cognition

and language, and its application on areas such as intercultural communication,

cross-cultural pragmatics, English as an international language, and World

Englishes.[…] In this monograph Farzad Sharifian has developed a theoretical model

of cultural conceptualisations and language which constitutes an advancement in

this emerging area of Cultural Linguistics. […] He starts from the premise that

cultural cognition is transmitted through language and is instantiated in the content

and use of language; it is reflected in categories, schemas and metaphors.

Language (morphosyntax, semantic meaning, pragmatic meaning, discourse

features) is entrenched in cultural conceptualisations. […] The application of the

model to such case studies constitutes an invaluable tool for different investigations,

both theoretical and applied, a central one being that of universality vs. culture-

specificity. Overall, the book offers an interesting account of an emerging area of

investigation, that of cultural cognition. It is of relevance to scholars interested in the

interface of language, culture and mind.” – Angeliki Athanasiadou, in Cognitive

Linguistics, vol 24(3) (2013), pp. 579-588.