"Leonard Talmy is among the foremost scholars in the rapidly developing and expanding field that has come to be called cognitive linguistics. This book will be a fundamental and much-cited work in that field, in linguistics generally, and beyond."
-- Ronald Langacker, Department of Linguistics, University of California San Diego

In this two-volume set Leonard Talmy basically defines the field of cognitive semantics. He approaches the question of how language organizes conceptual material both at a general level and by analyzing a crucial set of particular conceptual domains: space and time, motion and location, causation and force interaction, and attention and viewpoint. Talmy maintains that these are among the most fundamental parameters by which language structures conception. By combining these conceptual domains into an integrated whole, Talmy shows, we advance our understanding of the overall conceptual and semantic structure of natural language. Volume 1 examines the fundamental systems by which language shapes concepts. Volume 2 sets forth typologies according to which concepts are structured and the processes by which they are structured.

More endorsements:

"At last we have all these classic papers in one place! This collection finally makes it possible to appreciate the full scope and originality of Talmy's pioneering work in cognitive linguistics."
-- Ray Jackendoff, Professor of Linguistics, Brandeis University

"Talmy's penetrating analyses of the structure of language provide deep insights into the fundamental structure of cognition: space, time, causality, and social influence."
-- Barbara Tversky, Professor of Psychology, Stanford University

"These volumes bring together the works of a man who has profoundly influenced the study of linguistic meaning. An extremely rich collection, and essential reading for anyone interested in the relation of language and thought."
-- Terry Regier, Department of Psychology, University of Chicago