Situating Valency Theory in functional-cognitive space
This article builds on the work reported in Butler and Gonzálvez-García (2014), in which
16 functional and/or cognitive/constructionist theories were compared on the basis of questionnaires completed by experts and a
reading of the literature on each approach. The aim is to extend this work to cover Valency Theory (VT henceforth), arguably the
most widely used approach to the study of German syntax. We first report on a statistical analysis (correlation, multidimensional
scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis) of the data from the questionnaires completed by two VT experts, in relation to those
completed by experts in other approaches. We then present an analysis of each item in the questionnaire in relation to VT, leading
to a positive or negative evaluation for each questionnaire item. The results are again analysed statistically. The picture that
emerges is of a theory which, though distinctive, has clear relationships with a broad group of cognitively-oriented
approaches.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Methodology
- 3.Statistical analysis of the questionnaires
- 3.1The ratings given by the VT experts
- 3.2Correlational analysis
- 3.3Multidimensional scaling
- 3.4Hierarchical clustering
- 3.5Conclusions from the statistical analysis of the questionnaires
- 4.Discussion of VT in the light of the questionnaire data and the literature
- 4.1Some preliminary remarks on “valency” and “valency theory”
- 4.2Communication and motivation
- 4.3Coverage
- 4.4The database for description
- 4.5Explanation
- 4.6The form of the grammar
- 4.7Applications
- 5.Statistical analysis of the final ratings
- 5.1Correlational analysis
- 5.2Multidimensional scaling
- 5.3Hierarchical clustering
- 6.Concluding remarks
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
-
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