Constructions: A Construction Grammar Approach to Argument Structure (Cognitive Theory of Language and Culture Series) - Softcover

Goldberg, Adele E. E.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0226300862 ISBN 13: 9780226300863

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 1995

Synopsis

Drawing on work in linguistics, language acquisition and computer science, this book proposes that grammatical constructions play a central role in the relation between the form and meaning of simple sentences. The author demonstrates that the syntactic patterns associated with simple sentences are imbued with meaning - that the constructions themselves carry meaning independently of the words in a sentence. Goldberg provides an account of the relation between verbs and constructions, offering ways to relate verb and constructional meaning, and to capture relations among constructions and generalizations over constructions. Prototypes, frame semantics and metaphor are shown to play crucial roles. In addition, Goldberg presents specific analyses of several constructions, including the ditransitive and the resultative constructions, revealing systematic semantic generalizations. Through a comparison with other current approaches to argument structure phenomena, this book narrows the gap between generative and cognitive theories of language.

About this title

About the Author

Adele E. Goldberg is associate professor at the University of Illinois in the Department of Linguistics. In 1996, she won the Gustave O. Arlt Award in the Humanities for her work on Constructions.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0226300862
• ISBN 13: 9780226300863
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 278