Pragmatics - Grammatical Constructions

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews and discusses construction grammar. According to the paper, construction grammar (CxG) is a usage-based framework, and it endeavors to treat all types of expressions as equally central to capturing grammatical patterning.

Outline:
Fillmore's approach to Construction Grammar
More cognitive approaches to Construction Grammar
Towards a "Fluid" Construction Grammar

From the Paper:

"A. Radical Construction Grammar (Croft): all constructions are language-specific; all categories are defined by constructions; constructions are the primitive units of language. This kind of CxG takes into account cross-linguistic factors, dealing with the internal structure of constructions. Radical CxG is non-reductionist: constructions are not derived from their parts, but the parts are derived from the constructions. Radical CxG is opposed to the idea that syntactic categories, roles, and relations are universal. Moreover, they are not only language-specific, but also construction-specific. Instead of syntactic relations, Radical CxG rather talks about semantic relations. Indeed, it is closely related to cognitive linguistics."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ackerman, Farrell & Adele Goldberg. 1996. Constraints on Adjectival Past Participles. In Adele E. Goldberg (ed.), Conceptual Structure, Discourse and Language. CSLI Publications.
• Ackerman, Farrell & Gert Webelhuth. 1997. "The Composition of (Dis)continuous Predicates: Lexical or Syntactic?" Acta Linguistica Hungarica 44 (3-4), 317-340. Akademiai Kiado, Budapest; Hungary.
• Ackerman, Farrell & Gert Webelhuth. 1999. "A Lexical-Functional Analysis of Predicate Topicalization in German". American Journal of Germanic Linguistics and Literatures 11.1:1-65.
• Ackerman, Farrell & Gert Webelhuth. 1999. "The Treatment of Complex Predicates in Transformational and Non-transformational Theories of Syntax". In Robert D. Borsley & Kersti Borjars (eds.), Non-transformational Syntax: A Guide to Current Debate. Oxford, UK & Cambridge, USA: Blackwell.
• Bybee, Joan. 1998. A functionalist approach to grammar and its evolution. Evolution of Communication 2.2.249-278.

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