Cognitive linguistic research is discussed from a historical perspective and in the framework of East German linguistics. The relationship between biological and cognitive factors in human linguistic behavior is stressed. Two problems are addressed that are argued to have contributed to the growth of this linguistic discipline: (1) the 1991, 209, 1-6 according to which the human brain processes information, including language, in analogy to the computer, and (2) the Plato problem that addresses the question "how does a child develop complex cognitive structures on the basis of limited experience?" The biological basis of language is discussed with reference to the socio-historical basis favored by Marxist linguists in the context of the political changes (die Wende) in the German Democratic Republic by the end of 1989. (LLBA, Z. Dubiel, Accession Number 9202126, (c) CSA [1991]. All rights reserved.)