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Although generics are the most basic linguistic elements for expressing generalizations, they are not systematically covered in textbooks for learners of English. The article considers the ways in which twoa pproaches to generics -Langacker's( 1997) CognitiveGrammar and the model developed by Prasada et al. ( 2013) -mightcontribute to the pedagogical presentation of generics to foreign language learners. Some important aspects of both approaches are outlined to demonstrate their relevance to the teaching of generics. The aim in articulatingt hese approaches is not to giveaconclusiveaccount of them but rather to concretize the challenges that learners might face when mastering generics.

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The present paper focuses on the phenomenon of normativity and genericity in language and cognition. More specifically, it investigates the use of normative generics, which are generalizations that state an ideal norm for a given category, in the context of norm breaching in parent-child interactions in English. This issue is researched by means of a specially designed questionnaire including 8 norm breaching parent-child interactions, which has been completed online by ca. 70 English-speaking female respondents. The paper uses qualitative and quantitative methods to address two specific research issues. First, it compares the frequency of use of normative generics in norm breaching situations vis-à-vis the use of other types of normative linguistic expressions. Second, it analyses selected factors that are believed to favour the use of normative generics, including interactive openness of a given situation, norm salience, and perceived norm importance. Moreover, the paper sketches an explanatory model of normative generics that draws upon insights from the Conceptual Metonymy Theory, Construction Grammar, and Dual System Theory.