Constructions and Compositionality

Cognitive and Computational Explorations

Giulia Rambelli (University of Bologna)

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English

Cambridge University Press
30 January 2025

Psycholinguistics; Semantics; Grammar, syntax

Series: Elements in Construction Grammar

How do we understand any sentence, from the most ordinary to the most creative? The traditional assumption is that we rely on formal rules combining words (compositionality). However, psycho- and neuro-linguistic studies point to a linguistic representation model that aligns with the assumptions of Construction Grammar: there is no sharp boundary between stored sequences and productive patterns. Evidence suggests that interpretation alternates compositional (incremental) and noncompositional (global) strategies. Accordingly, systematic processes of language productivity are explainable by analogical inferences rather than compositional operations: novel expressions are understood 'on the fly' by analogy with familiar ones. This Element discusses compositionality, alternative mechanisms in language processing, and explains why Construction Grammar is the most suitable approach for formalizing language comprehension.

By: Giulia Rambelli (University of Bologna)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Weight: 161g
ISBN: 9781009437967
ISBN 10: 1009437968
Series: Elements in Construction Grammar
Pages: 102
Publication Date: 30 January 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

1. Introduction; 2. The problem of compositionality as a processing principle; 3. Accessing meaning non-compositionally: insights from experimental data; 4. Explaining productivity through analogy; 5. Rethinking compositionality: a constructionist perspective; 6. Conclusive remarks; References.