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Cognitive reality of constructions as a theoretical and methodological challenge in historical linguistics

Zehentner, Eva (2020). Cognitive reality of constructions as a theoretical and methodological challenge in historical linguistics. Belgian Journal of Linguistics, 34:371-382.

Abstract

This squib discusses empirical challenges incurred by assuming cognitive reality as a defining feature of constructions and the constructional network, as done in most usage-based, cognitive construction grammar approaches. Specifically, it zooms in on the methodological challenges in identifying cognitively plausible constructions in historical data, in particular when taking a highly exploratory, bottom-up approach with very little pre-selection or pre-analysis. I illustrate this issue with the example of a current project on PPs in the history of English, and the various functions these have in combination with verbs (from prototypical adjuncts to complements). I argue that the constraints of historical data make it necessary to find different, new ways to determine which abstractions and distinctions are likely to have been represented in minds of historical language users, and to furthermore identify changes in constructional networks over time.

Additional indexing

Item Type:Journal Article, refereed, original work
Communities & Collections:06 Faculty of Arts > Zurich Center for Linguistics
Dewey Decimal Classification:410 Linguistics
Scopus Subject Areas:Social Sciences & Humanities > Language and Linguistics
Social Sciences & Humanities > Linguistics and Language
Uncontrolled Keywords:Linguistics and Language, Language and Linguistics
Language:English
Date:31 December 2020
Deposited On:15 Feb 2022 06:46
Last Modified:18 Dec 2024 04:41
Publisher:John Benjamins Publishing
ISSN:0774-5141
OA Status:Green
Publisher DOI:https://doi.org/10.1075/bjl.00060.zeh
Project Information:
  • Funder: SNSF
  • Grant ID: 100015_175987
  • Project Title: Prepositions in English Argument Structure across Time and Space: A Corpus-based Evolutionary Construction Grammar Approach
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