Cognitive Analysis On Language Variation

In this paper, the author attempts to analyze the phenomenon of language variation from a cognitive perspective, which is a new research approach on language variation studies, and also a try in an interdisciplinary study, since this paper will explain a sociolinguistic topic using cognitive theories. The theories that will be used in this paper are mainly the theories of mental models which were proposed by Craik and then later were greatly developed by the famous linguists Holland et al..According to ideas of Holland et al., mental models can be seen as rule systems, and the rules compete with each other to form higher-level structures which can also be seen as the clusters of rules. In the thesis, the author treats language variation as the unusual event in the construction of mental models, and then the model presentation of language variation is like a problem solving condition. The author believes that the inductive mechanism functions most in generating new rules and forming new rule clusters in the construction of a successful model. Language variation, from the cognitive point of view, is in fact the generation of new rules and recombination of rule clusters. The variation of the structure of small-scaled mental models (equal to the rules in Holland et al.'s theories of mental models) is the inner reason of language variation.During the research, both quantitative and qualitative research methods will be used. The study may include many procedures, such as material collection, introspection, questionnaires, and data analysis, etc. The materials will all come from daily conversation or written language from books, magazines or newspapers.During the cognitive analysis of language variation, the author finds that the transmission of language variation is through memes. The novel ones can be divided into strong memes and weak memes; they will compete with the existing memes, and gain strength if they win the competition. When the meme becomes stronger and is transmitted to more and more people, it will survive. Language variation is just like this, when the variated language could be accepted by more and more people, it can survive and stay for a long time.