The Department of English, Central University of Punjab, under the esteemed patronage of Vice Chancellor Prof. Raghavendra P. Tiwari, successfully organised an invited talk titled ‘Cognitive Grammar and Reading Poetry’ by Dr. Marcello Giovanelli from Aston University, UK.
In his lecture, Dr. Giovanelli, a renowned stylistician with deep expertise in cognitive and empirical literary studies, provided a rich exploration of how cognitive grammar can be used as a tool to enhance the understanding of poetic texts.
He introduced and elaborated upon the relevance of terms like cognitive grammar, construal, and text-world theory. He argued that linguistic meanings are grounded in social interactions and that meaning does not just lie in conceptual content evoked in expression but in how that content is presented.
He further explained how the structure of a clause is image-schematic, shaped through references to conceptual archetypes, and grounded in human experience. He explained concepts through an analysis of World War I British poet Wilfred Owen’s poem ‘Futility’.
Dr. Giovanelli insightfully highlighted the potential of cognitive grammar to transform traditional approaches to literary studies. The lecture was followed up by a question-answer session. The session was inaugurated by Dr. Vipan Pal Singh, Head, Department English, who welcomed the speaker and the participants.
In attendance were faculty members, research scholars, and students, all keen to gain deeper insights into the intersection of language and literature. The event concluded with a vote of thanks from Prof. Shahila Zafar, convener of the event, who expressed gratitude towards Dr. Giovanelli for his enlightening presentation and hoped that the session would inspire further academic pursuit in stylistics and cognitive grammar among scholars. As the event was in hybrid mode, many scholars from other universities also joined it.