Frequencies, probabilities, and association measures in usage-/exemplar-based linguistics
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Stefan Th. Gries
Abstract
In the last few years, a particular quantitative approach to the syntax-lexis interface has been developed: collostructional analysis (CA). This approach is an application of association measures to co-occurrence data from corpora, from a usage-based/cognitive-linguistic perspective. In spite of some popularity, this approach has come under criticism in Bybee (2010), who criticizes the method for several perceived shortcomings and advocates the use of raw frequencies/percentages instead. This chapter has two main objectives. The first is to refute Bybee’s criticism on theoretical and empirical grounds; the second and further-reaching one is to outline, on the basis of what frequency data really look like, a cline of analytical approaches and, ultimately, a new perspective on the notion of construction based on this cline.
Abstract
In the last few years, a particular quantitative approach to the syntax-lexis interface has been developed: collostructional analysis (CA). This approach is an application of association measures to co-occurrence data from corpora, from a usage-based/cognitive-linguistic perspective. In spite of some popularity, this approach has come under criticism in Bybee (2010), who criticizes the method for several perceived shortcomings and advocates the use of raw frequencies/percentages instead. This chapter has two main objectives. The first is to refute Bybee’s criticism on theoretical and empirical grounds; the second and further-reaching one is to outline, on the basis of what frequency data really look like, a cline of analytical approaches and, ultimately, a new perspective on the notion of construction based on this cline.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
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Introduction
- Theory and data in cognitive linguistics 1
- Frequencies, probabilities, and association measures in usage-/exemplar-based linguistics 15
- Reconstructing constructional semantics 49
- The historical development of the it -cleft 87
- Theory and data in diachronic Construction Grammar 115
- The semantics of definite expressions and the grammaticalization of THE 141
- Cognitive explanations, distributional evidence, and diachrony 185
- Word classes 211
- Smashing new results on aspectual framing 239
- Index 261
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
-
Introduction
- Theory and data in cognitive linguistics 1
- Frequencies, probabilities, and association measures in usage-/exemplar-based linguistics 15
- Reconstructing constructional semantics 49
- The historical development of the it -cleft 87
- Theory and data in diachronic Construction Grammar 115
- The semantics of definite expressions and the grammaticalization of THE 141
- Cognitive explanations, distributional evidence, and diachrony 185
- Word classes 211
- Smashing new results on aspectual framing 239
- Index 261
