The grammar network: How linguistic structure is shaped by language use

What is it about?

Many cognitive linguists and usage-based linguists (Bybee, 1985; Langacker, 1987, 1988; Goldberg, 1995; Croft, 2001; Beckner et al., 2009; Hilpert, 2014) view grammar as a network, especially in terms of morphology and lexical semantics. However, as this books notes, such a viewpoint “has not yet been developed into an explicit theory or model” (p. 2). To address this gap in the literature, Diessel presents a dynamic network model of grammar in this book to provide a unified framework for the analysis of language use and linguistic structure, highlighting how the model functions in syntax analysis and frequency effects on language acquisition and language change.

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Why is it important?

This book is undoubtedly of excellent quality and rigor. It has purposeful prose, clear structure, novel ideas, a solid theoretical foundation, and convincing arguments. Based on a usage-based approach, it has presented a systematic and dynamic network model of grammar, which aims to give a comprehensive and unified account of various grammatical elements and demonstrate a combination of a network model of grammar with domain-general processes. It approaches the study of grammar from an interdisciplinary perspective, including usagebased linguistics, cognitive linguistics, construction grammar, cognitive psychology, etc.

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