Grammaticalisation through constructions

2004 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 159-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debra Ziegeler
Keyword(s):  
Argument Structure ◽  
Construction Grammar ◽  
Frequency Of Use ◽  
Gradual Development ◽  
Repeated Use ◽  
Verb Meaning ◽  
Diachronic Development ◽  
Over Time

Recent arguments by Langacker (2003) on the nature of verb meanings in constructions claim that such meanings are created by entrenchment and frequency of use, and only with repeated use can they become conventionalised and acceptable. Such a position raises the need for a diachronic perspective on Construction Grammar. The present paper investigates the evolution of constructions through the example of thehave-causative in English, which appears to have had its origins as a transfer verb in telic argument structure constructions. When the construction contains a transfer verb, construction meaning reinforces verb meaning and periphrastic causatives may grammaticalise as output; this is a gradual development over time. In one way, then, the verbhavegrammaticalises across a succession of constructions, but in another, the telic argument structure construction itself is seen to have a progressive diachronic development.

The emergence of disjunction: A history of constructionalization in Chinese

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhuo Jing-Schmidt ◽  
Xinjia Peng
Keyword(s):  
Driving Force ◽  
Epistemic Uncertainty ◽  
Construction Grammar ◽  
Pivotal Role ◽  
Linguistic Typology ◽  
Frequency Of Use ◽  
Non Linear ◽  
History Of ◽  
Diachronic Development

AbstractThis study investigates the diachronic development of Chinese disjunction, drawing implications both for principles of diachronic Construction Grammar, and for the linguistic typology of disjunction. Close examinations of data from historical corpora revealed non-linear, gradual constructional changes based on complex yet principled interactions of conceptual origin, constructional patterning, discourse pragmatics, and an isolating typology in the development of Chinese disjunction. Specifically, the results (1) show that construction is the source, unit and product of change, (2) demonstrate the pivotal role of syntactic and semantic reanalysis in the micro changes leading to the constructionalization of disjunction, (3) reveal a conceptual and diachronic continuity between epistemic uncertainty and disjunction, (4) highlight frequency of use as a driving force in the conventionalization and entrenchment of constructional schema, and (5) confirm the role played by an isolating typology in syntactic and categorial reassignment as a key step in grammatical constructionalization.

scholarly journals A trend study in the stratification of social media use among urban youth: Chile 2009-2019

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Correa ◽  
Sebastián Valenzuela
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Urban Youth ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Trend Study ◽  
Frequency Of Use ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Age Cohort ◽  
Youth Media ◽  
Probabilistic Survey ◽  
Over Time

This trend study describes changes and continuities in the stratification of usage of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp in Chile between 2009-2019—the decade that witnessed the rise of social media. Using the Youth, Media and Participation Study—a probabilistic survey conducted on an annual basis among 1,000 individuals aged 18 to 29 living in the three largest urban areas in Chile (N = 10,518)—we analyze how frequency of use and type of activities conducted on social media has varied over time along socioeconomic status, gender, and age cohort. Instead of a uniform trend towards less (or greater) inequality, the results show that each platform exhibits a unique dynamic. For instance, whereas SES-based inequality in frequency of use has decreased on Facebook over time, it has remained stable on WhatsApp and increased on Twitter and Instagram. In addition, significant differences in the likelihood of conducting different activities (e.g., chatting, commenting news, sharing links) remained across groups, even on platforms such as Facebook where frequency of use has equalized over time.

A construction grammar analysis of the transitivebeperfect in present-day Canadian English

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
YURI YERASTOV
Keyword(s):  
Argument Structure ◽  
Construction Grammar ◽  
Syntactic Analysis ◽  
Underlying Structure ◽  
Canadian English ◽  
Syntactic Theory ◽  
Fixed Material ◽  
Grammar Analysis ◽  
Generative Approach ◽  
Surface Realization

This article offers a syntactic analysis of the construction [be doneNP], e.g.I am done dinner, I am finished my homework, as found in Canadian English and some US dialects. After situating this construction in the context of a productive transitivebeperfect in Scots/English dialects, [be doneNP] will be distinguished from a set of its conceptual and structural relatives, and ultimately be shown not to be reducible to a surface realization of another underlying structure. From the perspective of syntactic theory, the article problematizes the parsimony of the mainstream generative approach (most recently in MacFadden & Alexiadou 2010) in accounting for the facts of [be doneNP] on strictly compositional grounds, as well as the mainstream view of lexical items as projecting theta grids and subcategorization frames (as e.g. in Grimshaw 1979; Emonds 2000). Following Fillmoreet al.(1988), Goldberg (1995, 2005) and others, what will be suggested instead is a construction grammar approach to [be doneNP], under which a construction holistically licenses its argument structure. Along these lines [be doneNP] will be characterized as an abstract construction with some fixed material.

Argument structure satisfaction via unselected adjuncts

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seiko Fujii ◽  
Russell Lee-Goldman
Keyword(s):  
Argument Structure ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Construction Grammar ◽  
Main Clause ◽  
Semantic Approach ◽  
The Core ◽  
Frame Element

Abstract This paper presents a frame-based constructional approach to argument structure satisfaction via unselected adjuncts, by focusing on one such case in Japanese. It points out an intriguing constructional phenomenon whereby causal adjunct clauses marked with node ‘because’, as used with main-clause predicates that evoke communication frames (such as Telling and Warning), serve to satisfy main-clause argument structure. The node clause precedes the main-clause speech act of telling/warning, and can be interpreted as a speech-act causal (Sweetser 1990). The node clause at the same time conveys the content of informing or warning, i.e., the core Frame Element message, which is absent as a main-clause complement. This analysis of argument structure satisfaction via unselected adjuncts provides evidence for a Frame Semantic approach to argument structure that incorporates Construction Grammar.

Lexical expansion in the HAVE and BE perfect in Dutch

Diachronica ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evie Coussé
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Construction Grammar ◽  
Prototype Theory ◽  
Verb Classes ◽  
Empirical Basis ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Legal Texts ◽  
Over Time

This article investigates lexical expansion in the HAVE and BE perfect in Dutch. It is known from previous research that early perfects show more lexical restrictions than their modern counterparts. The aim of this article is to uncover how perfects change their collocational preferences over time. The present study tackles this issue taking a quantitative corpus perspective. The empirical basis for this study is a sample of HAVE and BE perfects taken from a corpus of Dutch legal texts (1250–1800). The sample is analyzed using the method of diachronic distinctive collexeme analysis. The statistical analysis indicates that both perfect constructions show fine-grained shifts in collocational preferences over time. The observed lexical expansion has the following properties: it proceeds (a) gradually, (b) through semantically related verb classes, (c) away from a prototype. These properties are accounted for making use of insights from prototype theory and construction grammar.

The grammaticalization of Dutch klinken

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 190-212
Author(s):  
Marjolein Poortvliet
Keyword(s):  
17Th Century ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Intransitive Verb ◽  
Middle Dutch ◽  
Subjective Interpretation ◽  
Perception Verbs ◽  
History Of ◽  
Verb Meaning ◽  
Diachronic Development

Abstract This article demonstrates the diachronic development of present-day Dutch klinken as an evidential copular verb meaning ‘to seem, based on (auditory) evidence’ from the Middle Dutch intransitive verb klinken meaning ‘to give off a clear sound’. I identify four semantic stages in the history of klinken, which are divided by processes of semantic bleaching (14th–16th century, 16th–17th century) and subjectification and copularization (during the 16th century). I claim that the process of copularization is the trigger of both the evidential meaning and the subjective interpretation that copular constructions with klinken receive. Furthermore, I show that, unlike the development of eruitzien ‘look’ and voelen ‘feel’ from cognitive perception verbs, klinken has developed much like the Dutch copular verbs schijnen ‘seem’ and blijken ‘turn out’: from an intransitive verb with a sensory-related meaning.

Trends in the use of bone agents in metastatic cancer.

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e20672-e20672
Author(s):  
Jurgen Wilhelm Kogler ◽  
William J. Hrushesky ◽  
Dinah Huff ◽  
Laura Rose Bobolts ◽  
Akhil Kumar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Dose ◽  
Zoledronic Acid ◽  
Linear Regression ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Metastatic Cancer ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Frequency Of Use ◽  
Skeletal Related Events ◽  
Care Costs ◽  
Over Time

e20672 Background: Bone modifying agents have been shown to delay and/or prevent skeletal-related events for a range of cancers metastatic to the bone. Various studies have identified pamidronate, zoledronic acid, and denosumab as bone modifying agents, each of which confers clinical benefit. The convenience of administration and costs of these agents differ greatly. Administration spans vary from roughly 2 hours for IV pamidronate, 15 minutes for IV zoledronic acid, and minimal time for subcutaneous denosumab. The estimated cost for a single dose of pamidronate, zoledronic acid, and denosumab are $29, $890, and $1,712, respectively. Methods: All requests for pamidronate, zoledronic acid, and denosumab authorization submitted by practicing oncologists within southeast Florida were tabulated for 2010, 2011, and 2012. Comparisons for both frequency of use and cost over time were made using ANOVA and Chi Square; p<0.05 for significance. Trends were assessed by linear regression. Results: 895 requests for pamidronate, zoledronic acid, or denosumab were examined over this three year span. The use of bone modifying agents for metastatic cancer is increasing rapidly, as treatment request totaled 171, 269, and 455 for all three agents, pamidronate, zoledronic acid, or denosumab, in 2010, 2011, and 2012, respectively. Zoledronic acid requests significantly increased (p<0.001) per year between 2010 and 2011, as with 2011 and 2012. Denosumab requests are also increasing steadily and sharply in 2012. Conclusions: Each of these three agents has demonstrated clear efficacy in delaying or preventing second skeletal events among patients with metastatic cancer already involving bone. Toxicities among these three agents are comparable in the vast majority of eligible cancer patients. Relative costs should be carefully considered when choosing which agent to use as the use of these agents in general is increasing rapidly and will have a major impact upon overall cancer care costs. [Table: see text]

Cognitive vs. generative construction grammar: The case of coercion and argument structure

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 613-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Remi van Trijp
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Argument Structure ◽  
Construction Grammar ◽  
Alternative Solution ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Competence Model ◽  
Problem Solving Model

AbstractOne of the most salient hallmarks of construction grammar is its approach to argument structure and coercion: rather than positing many different verb senses in the lexicon, the same lexical construction may freely interact with multiple argument structure constructions. This view has however been criticized from within the construction grammar movement for leading to overgeneration. This paper argues that this criticism falls flat for two reasons: (1) lexicalism, which is the alternative solution proposed by the critics, has already been proven to overgenerate itself, and (2) the argument of overgeneration becomes void if grammar is implemented as a problem-solving model rather than as a generative competence model; a claim that the paper substantiates through a computational operationalization of argument structure and coercion in Fluid Construction Grammar. The paper thus shows that the current debate on argument structure is hiding a much more fundamental rift between practitioners of construction grammar that touches upon the role of grammar itself.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document