Search results for "Construction Grammar"

Some reflections on semantic–pragmatic cycles

2020

Abstract This paper explores novel ways to consider semantic–pragmatic cycles using a dual strategy: an inwards strategy, whereby the distinctive traits of a pragmatic cycle are established, and an outwards strategy, whereby the categories that delimit semantic–pragmatic cycles are described. The result of this exploration is the distinction between “pragmatic cycle”, “replication”, “concomitance” and “paradigmatic increase” as four different yet related processes. In addition, this study integrates Construction Grammar into the description of each process and shows that the study of semantic–pragmatic cycles can benefit from a constructional approach, adopting Traugott and Trousdale’s (201…

Between Composition and Emergentness: A Cognitive Semantics Re-Reading of the Way-Construction

2016

This study re-analyzes the English way-construction by having recourse to diverse concepts and tools of Talmy’s cognitive semantics. Drawing on his theory of recombinance and its relevance for conceptualizing the construction, the article implements Talmy’s theory of event integration, categorizes the way-construction as an instantiation of the open path event frame, considers link-ups of the schematic systems of force dynamics and attention as they become instantiated in the construction, and probes into its motion-aspect patterning, grounded in a conformation of space and time and resulting in a strategy that is called de-conflation. Further, it will recruit Talmy’s types of semantic conf…

Software Architectures for Human-Machine Interaction Using Natural Language

Il linguaggio naturale rappresenta un sistema di comunicazione a carattere inferenziale in opposizione ai sistemi di comunicazione a codice che non prevedono una forma di ragionamento intelligente da parte del ricevente, ma si basano sul riconoscimento di patterns dell'informazione. In un sistema di comunicazione di tipo inferenziale, infatti, si parte dal presupposto che il ricevente abbia una certa "intelligenza" e sia, quindi, capace di comprendere, elaborare ed inferire il contenuto informativo di una comunicazione attraverso ragionamenti su un background di conoscenze (come modelli di mondo e di linguaggio) condivisi sia dalla sorgente che dal destinatario. L'attività di ricerca, svolt…

Sémantique discursive cognitive.

2022

Langue et connaissances sont dans la recherche actuelle travaillées sous l’angle du discours. Son étude linguistique permet d’identifier des figements en tant qu’expressions de routines sociales et cognitives. Cette approche exploite deux outils : les constructions en tant qu’appariements de sens et de forme, et les frames en tant qu’unités minimales de connaissances partagées. Il convient alors de construire théoriquement cette association, encore inédite en analyse du discours. Un protocole méthodologique de linguistique du corpus opérationnalise l’approche développée. Puis, une analyse empirique d’un corpus de publicités du vin issues de prospectus de supermarchés autrichiens permet de v…

How domain-sensitive are existential constructions? Evidence from Swedish and Dutch weather reports

2020

International audience; [Introduction] Over the last two decades, linguists have shown considerable interest in the advantages of CxG-theories for various linguistic sub-disciplines. A particular question that has arisen within more “applied” frameworks, is whether or not constructions can have domain-specific manifestations regarding meaning and/or form (Fischer/Nikiforidou 2015; Bücker/Günther/Imo 2015; Gautier/Bach 2019). However, sufficient empirical analyses are currently missing, and this research question needs to be more systematically tested for constructions in various languages and different LSP-oriented domains. Beside the mere “applied” focus, such work can lead to interestin…

Using discourse segmentation to account for the polyfunctionality of discourse markers:The case of well

2021

Abstract A large number of studies describe the many different functions of polyfunctional discourse markers like well in different contexts and from different theoretical perspectives. In the current paper, we propose to systematize the many different uses identified based on their position with respect to the discourse units they are associated with. Not only can previous findings on well be integrated into a single coherent representation of its uses and functions, but the positions with respect to the discourse units can also be associated with specific functions, thus shedding light on how the polyfunctionality of well is brought about.

What drives morphological change?

2014

This paper investigates the role of syntactic, semantic, and lexical factors in the diachronic development of German nominalization patterns. Drawing on an extensive corpus analysis of Early New High German and New High German texts, it is shown that (a) deverbal nominals in the suffix -ung tend to develop more reified meaning variants, which is reflected in the syntactic patterns in which the word-formation products preferentially occur, and (b) infinitival nominalization becomes more productive and is established as the new default word-formation pattern deriving nouns from verbs. These considerations fit in neatly with a cognitively-oriented theory of word-formation change situated in th…

Schema Unification and Morphological Productivity: A Diachronic Perspective

2018

Unified schemas which allow for deriving multiply complex word-formation products are a central concept in Construction Morphology (CxM). Based on examples such as un-V-able formations in English, it has been argued in the framework of Construction Morphology that unified schemas (in this case: [un[V-able]A]A) can be conceived of as short cuts in coining new complex words. In this paper, we explore three prospective cases of schema unification and discuss what kind of evidence supports the assumption of unified schemas. The first two case studies are diachronic in nature. Drawing on corpus analyses of data from the Early New High German period (1350–1650) and from the early stages of New Hi…

I-ChatbIT: An intelligent chatbot for the Italian Language

2014

A novel chatbot architecture for the Italian language is presented that is aimed at implementing cognitive under- standing of the query by locating its cor- respondent subgraph in the agent’s KB by means of a graph matching strategy pur- posely devised. The FCG engine is used for producing replies starting from the se- mantic poles extracted from the candidate answers’ subgraphs. The system imple- ments a suitable disambiguation strategy for selecting the correct answer by analyz- ing the commonsense knowledge related to the adverbs in the query that is embed- ded in the lexical constructions of the ad- verbs themselves as a proper set of fea- tures. The whole system is presented, and a com…

Precategoriality and syntax-based parts of speech

2008

Late Archaic Chinese is a precategorial language, i.e., a language whose lexical items are not preclassified in the lexicon for the syntactic functions of N and V. This will be shown on the basis of structural-conceptual criteria as those developed by Croft (2000) and Sasse (1993b) as well as on the basis of methodological criteria as those suggested by Evans & Osada (2005). As is claimed in Construction Grammar (Goldberg 1995, 2005), the meaning of lexical items is derived by integrating their own lexical meaning with the meaning contributed by the construction. The construction analysed in this paper is the argument structure construction. Linking between lexicon and syntax is subject…