Chapter 5
Exploring inter-constructional relations in the constructicon
A view from Contrastive (Cognitive) Construction Grammar
Drawing on a cursory contrastive analysis of (i) the reflexive subjective-transitive construction, (ii) the self-descriptive subjective transitive construction, and (iii) the What’s X doing Y? (WXDY) construction in English and Spanish, this chapter explores the feasibility of capturing intra- and inter-constructional generalizations. Specifically, all three constructions must encode a characterization in keeping with the inherent subjective meaning of the secondary predication frame. At a higher level of resolution, in the case of two prima facie distinct constructions such as those in (ii) and (iii), the state of affairs in question should involve a stage-level rather than individual-level construal. I suggest that a similarity in pragmatic function, viz. the subject/speaker’s judgment of a state of affairs as being unexpected or incongruous, may be the unifying factor binding them together in the constructicon.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.The reflexive construction
- 3.The reflexive subjective-transitive construction
- 4.The self-descriptive subjective-transitive construction
- 5.The WXDY construction
- 6.Closing remarks and outlook
-
Acknowledgement
-
Notes
-
References
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