Discourse information structure: A cognitive approach to language based on dynamic network representation

---

Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Enformatik Enstitüsü, Bilişsel Bilimler Anabilim Dalı, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2015

Öğrenci: FIRAT ÖTER

Danışman: CEYHAN TEMÜRCÜ

Özet:

The historical course of linguistics studies with an emphasis on meaning points out the requirement of a representational framework that is capable of forming a structure building bridge between the linguistic (i.e. symbolic) and cognitive (i.e. conceptual) levels. The present thesis aims to lay down some conditions for a comprehensive semantic theory, which is capable of representing all relevant levels of cognitive information involved in semantic processing. This attempt will give rise to a new, suggestive definition of linguistic meaning (semantic structure), as the totality of cognitive information that interrelates the surface linguistic level to relevant cognitive levels during language comprehension and production. Then, a preliminary framework, called Cognitive Information Structure (CIS) is sketched, which provides a representational ground which makes use of dynamically evolving networks. The fundamental properties of CIS are explained and possible theoretical justifications of the framework are discussed. Finally, a representational application of CIS on discourse-syntax level, called the Discourse-Syntactic Structure (DSS) is sketched to represent structural properties of language at the level of discourse. Further elaborations and analyses are left for future research, due to practical difficulties.