Can Construction Grammar Be Proven Wrong?

Bert Cappelle author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:1st Feb '24

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Can Construction Grammar Be Proven Wrong? cover

Is Construction Grammar falsifiable science? Can we test its claims that general schemas are meaningful, or even exist?

Construction Grammar has gained prominence in linguistics. This Element serves as a cautionary note against complacency and dogmatism. It emphasizes the enduring importance of falsifiability as a criterion for scientific hypotheses and theories.Construction Grammar has gained prominence in linguistics, owing its popularity to its inclusive approach that considers language units of varying sizes and generality as potential constructions – mentally stored form-function units. This Element serves as a cautionary note against complacency and dogmatism. It emphasizes the enduring importance of falsifiability as a criterion for scientific hypotheses and theories. Can every postulated construction, in principle, be empirically demonstrated not to exist? As a case study, the author examines the schematic English transitive verb-particle construction, which defies experimental verification. He argues that we can still reject its non-existence using sound linguistic reasoning. But beyond individual constructions, what could be a crucial test for Construction Grammar itself, one that would falsify it as a theory? In making a proposal for such a test, designed to prove that speakers also exhibit pure-form knowledge, this Element contributes to ongoing discussions about Construction Grammar's theoretical foundations.

ISBN: 9781009343206

Dimensions: 230mm x 150mm x 5mm

Weight: 150g

82 pages