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Competition in Word-Formation
Edited by Alexandra Bagasheva, Akiko Nagano and Vincent Renner
[Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 284] 2024
► pp. 326–349

Chapter 11
Revisiting Poser’s (1992) “Blocking of phrasal constructions by lexical items” from the perspective of the economy of language use principle

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Poser (1992) is an important paper that points out that blocking applies not only to synonyms but also to synonymous phrases, using Japanese examples. This chapter aims to update his discussion and proposal using Ueno’s (2014) “economy of language use” principle requiring to choose a structurally simpler expression when there are two semantically rivaling expressions. Considering the significance of two semantically similar but formally non-identical representations co-existing redundantly, this chapter also puts forth Sadock’s (2012) multi-modular grammar as a model that embodies the idea that grammar is competition.
Keywords: blocking, economy of language use, non-conjugation verb, light verb, periphrastic conjugation, Japanese, English, multi-modular grammar
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Blocking in the past research
  • 3.Blocking operates between a word and its periphrasis
    • 3.1A few basic facts of the Japanese language
    • 3.2Poser’s generalization
  • 4.Economy of language use
  • 5.Theoretical implication
  • 6.Concluding remarks
  • Notes
  • References
  • Appendix
Published online: 8 May 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.284.11yuh
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