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  • 31 - Cognitive Approaches to the History of English

  • from Part IV - Modelling the Record: Methods and Theories
  • Edited by Merja Kytö, Uppsala Universitet, Sweden, Erik Smitterberg, Uppsala Universitet, Sweden
  • Book:
    The New Cambridge History of the English Language
    Published online:
    18 October 2025
    Print publication:
    16 October 2025, pp 768-795

  • Summary

    This chapter explores the role of central aspects of cognition in historical linguistics. After describing and discussing the cognitive commitment and its theoretical background, this chapter highlights the relation to cognitive archaeology as well as historical psychology and explores the methodological prerequisites for cognitive approaches to the history of English, particularly the quantitative turn in cognitive linguistics. Case studies from different periods of English illustrate how cognitive factors can shed light on synchronic historical language stages and diachronic developments, and how these in turn can help us to further explore the cognitive commitment. Finally, we argue for a feedback loop, where modern cognitive linguistic theories feed into and guide historical enquiries, but are also checked and modified, if necessary, on the basis of historical findings.