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Lexical be
Philip Miller, Peter W. Culicover
Journal:

Journal of Linguistics , First View

Published online by Cambridge University Press:

15 January 2025, pp. 1-24
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We explore the surprising lexical be construction in English (e.g. Why don’t you be quiet?). After an overview of previous discussions, an investigation of the use of lexical be in the COCA and SOAP corpora is provided. It is shown that its distribution is highly skewed and that it is completely felicitous only under a very limited set of conditions. An account of lexical be is then provided showing that the conditions that license it are inherited from more general constructions, most importantly the negative imperative construction and the ‘Why don’t you’ construction. In this light, it is suggested that the lexical be construction, with its special properties, provides strong evidence for a constructional approach to linguistic competence along the lines of Goldberg (1995), Culicover and Jackendoff (2005), Sag (2012).

Sherman Wilcox, Rocío Martínez, Sara Siyavoshi
Published online:

05 December 2024

Print publication:

09 January 2025
- Element
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This Elements monograph presents a Cognitive Grammar (CG) approach to a range of signed language grammatical phenomena. It begins with a background on the history of sign linguistics, focusing on what was a widely-held belief that signs are simply gestures. The first section traces the modern linguistic examination of signed languages, focusing on Stokoe and his demonstration that these languages exhibit phonology and duality of patterning. Next, we present some fundamental principles that are foundational for cognitive linguistics and sign linguistics. In a section on Cognitive Grammar, we present a brief overview of CG principles, constructs, and models. Section 4 presents extensive analyses of signed language constructions applying CG, including nominal grounding; the concepts of Place and placing; a CG approach to 'agreement' constructions in signed languages; reported dialogue; grammatical modality; and the grammatical meaning of facial displays. A final section examines the controversial role of gesture in grammatical constructions.

4 - Understanding Lexemes
Benoît Leclercq, Université Paris 8
Book:

Linguistic Knowledge and Language Use

Published online:

19 October 2023

Print publication:

02 November 2023, pp 117-180
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Summary

Chapter 4 examines how the direct linguistic environment of a lexeme affects its interpretation. In keeping with the constructionist approach, this means looking into the interaction between lexemes and the various types of constructions in which they are found. First, examples of coercion are considered. Though semantically triggered, it is argued that such examples are pragmatically resolved and do not require a process distinct from lexically regulated saturation (Leclercq, 2019). The pragmatic roots of coercion are related to the “procedural function” of the “grammatical constructions” involved, two concepts whose definitions are carefully reviewed. It is argued that grammatical constructions serve only to assist the interpretation process. Second, attention is given to more idiomatic constructions in which lexemes are also found. The interpretation of these constructions is said to follow from a parallel, context-sensitive process guided by considerations of relevance that may suspend lexically regulated saturation. Overall, Chapter 4 sheds light on the complex ways in which lexical meaning comes about.