Publications

Publication details [#41958]

Publication type
Article in book
Publication language
English
Place, Publisher
John Benjamins

Annotation

In Hopper’s emergent grammar approach, grammar is not a discrete, predefined set of rules which are presupposed by discourse, but rather, it is an open-ended collection of forms that emerges in actual language use. There is a heavy emphasis on repetition or routinization. It is also discussed where emergent grammar stands in the field of linguistics, looking for possible connections. In sum, emergent grammar can be viewed as an understanding of the nature of human language; it does not offer a concrete framework of analysis for all facets of language it discusses (inter alia, a method for analyzing language as a tool for social interaction). It provides a detailed view on the ontology of grammar and language, and an insightful discussion of the implications of this ontology for the study of different languages.