Thomas Hoffmann, Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt

In this course we will explore the role of constructional networks in language variation and change. In the first session, we will look at the foundational tenets of Construction Grammar (e.g., constructions as form-meaning pairings, the lexicon-syntax cline, the network analysis of constructional knowledge, domain general effects). In the second session, the focus will be on the emergence of routine constructions in language change and their function in synchronic variation. The final session will then take a closer look at creative language use and shows how novel constructions can emerge through the interaction of existing constructions in the mental network.