Construction Grammar and its Application to English
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Edinburgh University Press
Published:21st Aug '19
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
What do speakers of English know in order to produce utterances that other speakers will understand? Construction Grammar explains how knowledge of language is organized in speakers' minds. The central and radical claim of Construction Grammar is that linguistic knowledge can be fully described as knowledge of constructions, which are defined as symbolic units that connect a linguistic form with meaning. The implications of this claim are far-reaching: in Construction Grammar, not only lexical items, but also syntactic patterns are seen as symbolic, meaningful units. Instead of being meaningless structural templates, syntactic patterns actively contribute to the overall meaning of an utterance. Knowledge of language is thought of as a vast repository of interrelated symbolic units, and nothing else in addition. This book expands on this idea and familiarizes readers with the central concepts of Construction Grammar, as applied to English constructions. In the process, it explains how the theory of Construction Grammar relates to issues of language processing, language acquisition, and language variation and change.
Hilpert’s book is the first and only introductory textbook on Construction Grammar. It manages to convey the insights and complexities of the framework with impressive breadth, all in a very readable and engaging way. * Adele E. Goldberg, Princeton University *
Hilpert's arguments are thoroughly convincing and I find it hard to see that anyone can doubt the power of Construction Grammar and not become a construction grammarian after having read his book. -- Jan-Ola Östman, University of Helsinki and Dalarna University * Review of Cognitive Linguistics *
An accessible introduction to the principles of CxG. * The Year's Work in English Studies *
Hilpert's book delivers on its promise to be an introduction to CxG and its application to various linguistic subdisciplines... At the end of each chapter there are a number of study questions, suggestions for further reading, and exercises. In addition, a series of video lectures accompanies the book. An accessible textbook with a few more technical chapters, such as the one of information packaging, it will make a great introductory text for undergraduate students interested in Construction Grammar and its application to English. -- Lieselotte brems, University of Liege
ISBN: 9781474433600
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 406g
296 pages
2nd edition