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Article published In:
International Journal of Chinese Linguistics
Vol. 5:2 (2018) ► pp.171–194

Differentiating a construction into a structure

| University of Hawaii

This paper proposes a reconciliation of two opposite perspectives on a syntactic configuration and its associated semantic interpretation. Of these two, one is the view that a syntactic structure maps onto its semantic structure on a strict compositionality condition, and one is the view that a syntactic construction is not strictly compositional but has an inherent, endowed meaning, not compositionally derived. The proposed resolution attempts to settle the disagreement by differentiating an endowed-meaning construction into a compatible compositional-meaning structure, which in reverse is integrated into the original construction. As a result, structure and construction emerge as two sides of the same coin, and the disagreement is resolved.

Keywords: Theory of Interface, construction, structure, composition, culture
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Constructions as a rejection of formalism
  • 3.Constructions as derived from structures
  • 4.Segments in an altered construction
  • 5.Omissions characterizing constructions
  • 6.Famous examples of construction
  • 7.Tai’s principle of temporal sequence
  • 8.Universalism, nativism, and cultural choices
  • 9.Conclusion
  • References
Published online: 13 December 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ijchl.17009.hsi
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