Argument Structure in Usage-Based Construction Grammar
Experimental and corpus-based perspectives
| University of Basel
The argument structure of verbs, defined as the part of grammar that deals with how participants in verbal events are expressed in clauses, is a classical topic in linguistics that has received considerable attention in the literature. This book investigates argument structure in English from a usage-based perspective, taking the view that the cognitive representation of grammar is shaped by language use, and that crucial aspects of grammatical organization are tied to the frequency with which words and syntactic constructions are used. On the basis of several case studies combining quantitative corpus studies and psycholinguistic experiments, it is shown how a usage-based approach sheds new light on a number of issues in argument realization and offers frequency-based explanations for its organizing principles at three levels of generality: verbs, constructions, and argument structure alternations.
[Constructional Approaches to Language, 17] 2015. x, 246 pp.
Publishing status: Available
© John Benjamins
Table of Contents
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Acknowledgments | pp. ix–x
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Chapter 1. Introduction | pp. 1–12
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Part I. Verbs
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Chapter 2. Usage-based perspectives on verb valency | pp. 15–44
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Chapter 3. Empirical evidence for usage-based valency | pp. 45–76
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Part II. Constructions
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Chapter 4. The usage basis of constructional meaning | pp. 79–104
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Chapter 5. The importance of local generalizations | pp. 105–142
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Part III. Alternations
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Chapter 6. Alternations as units of linguistic knowledge | pp. 145–174
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Chapter 7. The usage basis of alternation based productivity | pp. 175–210
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Conclusion
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Chapter 8. Summary and evaluation | pp. 211–218
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References
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Appendix | pp. 235–238
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Constructions index | pp. 239–240
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Name index | pp. 241–244
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Subject index | pp. 245–246
“In this data-rich, theoretically sophisticated volume, Perek offers many new and intriguing insights into our usage-based knowledge of argument structure. Inspiring!”
Adele Goldberg, Princeton University
“This book offers a lucid and theoretically inspiring empirical study of argument structure in English from a usage-based perspective; an absolute must-read for anyone, regardless of theoretical inclination, working on verb valency, argument structure, and alternations.”
Maarten Lemmens, Université Lille 3
“Within the research program of Construction Grammar, the topic of argument structure has a central place. In this book, Florent Perek takes up existing constructional research and shows how corpus-linguistic studies and experimental methods can be combined to arrive at a truly usage-based understanding of how verbs and their arguments form part of speakers' linguistic knowledge. For anybody who is interested in current constructional theory and methodology, this is required reading.”
Martin Hilpert, University of Neuchâtel
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Subjects & Metadata
BIC Subject: CFK – Grammar, syntax
BISAC Subject: LAN009000 – LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / General