1. A usage-based perspective on language; 2. Rich memory for language: exemplar representation; 3. Chunking and degrees of autonomy; 4. Analogy and similarity; 5. Categorization and the distribution of constructions in corpora; 6. Where do constructions come from? Synchrony and diachrony in a usage-based theory; 7. Grammatical change: reanalysis or the gradual creation of new constructions?; 8. Gradient constituency and gradual reanalysis; 9. Conventionalization and the local vs. the general: modern English can; 10. Exemplars and grammatical meaning: the specific and the general; 11. Language as a complex adaptive system: the interaction of cognition, culture and use.
Outlines a theory of language use and language change, focusing on the processes that give languages their structure and variance.
Joan Bybee is Distinguished Professor Emerita in the Department of Linguistics at the University of New Mexico. Her previous publications include Phonology and Language Use (Cambridge, 2001) and Frequency of Use and the Organization of Language (2007).
'It used to be a cliché that humans understand new utterances by
constructing analogies with previous utterances. A fully-fledged
articulation of this idea was however lacking until now. Bybee does
a marvellous job in bringing together linguistics and cognitive
science, showing how the integration of usage and analogy results
in an improved account for language cognition.' Rens Bod, Institute
for Logic, Language and Computation, University of Amsterdam
'… the perfect overview for anyone wanting to learn about the
usage-based approach to language, and a synthesis that will be
valuable to readers familiar with the framework.' Kie Ross Zuraw,
Department of Linguistics, University of California, Los
Angeles
'Comprehensive and compelling … it should not be missed by anyone
interested in language and the processes that underlie both
language change and language processing.' Adele E. Goldberg,
Professor of Linguistics, Princeton University
'Bybee's insightful and refreshing investigation into the dynamic
processes that create grammar is an inspiration for research in
usage-based linguistics.' Sandra A. Thompson, University of
California, Santa Barbara
'… this is a very insightful and informative book which provides a
good overview of Bybee's impressive investigations and which always
integrates diachronic perspective.' Damaris Nübling, Language and
Dialogue
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