Buch, Englisch, 363 Seiten
Their Form and Meaning
Buch, Englisch, 363 Seiten
ISBN: 978-0-19-823871-3
Verlag: Oxford University Press
In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in grammatical constructionsunits of grammar representing formmeaning correspondences. The movement in which Construction Grammar, as developed by Charles Fillmore and Paul Kay, has played a significant role, has arisen in part as a response to the Chomskyan modular approach, which treats grammatical constructions as epiphenomenal, dismantling their component features and attributing these to general principles of grammar. This volume is the first collection to focus on grammatical constructions per se, and is dedicated to Charles Fillmore in recognition of his leadership in the field. The papers all reflect or elaborate on his work, which shows how lexicon, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics interact in giving constructions their individual holistic characters as basic units of grammar. Several approaches to constructions are represented here, dealing with topics that range from idiomatized constructions to traditional forms such as conditionals, relative clauses, and benefactive constructions. A unifying thread is the shared conviction that close examination of the nature of grammatical constructions, with particular emphasis on their idiosyncrasies and on the complex interrelationships among their forms, functions, meanings, and uses in ordinary speech and writing, provides a rich foundation upon which to build a theory of cognition, memory, and grammar.
Now available in a paperback edition, this collection of previously unpublished papers by a cast of distinguished contributors is a response to and elaboration of Charles Fillmore's and Paul Kay's 'Construction Grammar'. In contrast to the modular Chomskyan approach which treats grammatical constructions as epiphenomena, Construction Grammar is premised on the idea that constructions function as units of grammar in a way similar to words, and that their properties derive from complex interplays between lexicon, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.
