What is it about?
The Introduction argues that grammar is not a list of isolated constructions but a network of interconnected form–meaning pairings, known as the constructicon. The authors review how different versions of Construction Grammar—Cognitive, Radical, Sign‑Based, Fluid, Embodied, among others—share the assumption that constructions form a massive, structured inventory in speakers’ minds. Yet, while many studies explore individual constructions (e.g., resultatives, ditransitives, reduplication, way‑constructions), far less work has addressed how families of constructions relate to one another formally, semantically, pragmatically, or cognitively. The Introduction highlights that constructional families may be linked through prototype effects, family resemblance, polysemy, inheritance patterns, or cognitive mechanisms such as metaphor and metonymy. It identifies a clear research gap: the need to understand not just single constructions but clusters of constructions—how they relate internally (intra‑constructionally) and across broader areas of grammar (inter‑constructionally). The editors then present the structure of the volume: Part I explores different analytical lenses—paradigmatic, embodied, cross‑linguistic/metonymic, pragmatic, and inter‑/intra‑constructional—to reveal how constructions group into coherent families. Part II contains case studies showing how examining constructional families can refine, challenge, or reconcile different construction‑grammar frameworks, including Goldberg’s model, the Lexical Constructional Model, and usage‑based approaches. Finally, the Introduction positions the volume as a step toward building more systematic accounts of entire constructicons, across languages and across multimodal forms of expression.
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Why is it important?
This Introduction is important because it reframes a core issue in Construction Grammar: the field has excelled at analyzing individual constructions, but has rarely explained how entire networks of constructions are internally structured. By foregrounding the constructicon as an interconnected system, it encourages research that captures grammatical generalizations that transcend single patterns. The editors also stress that constructional families exist across languages, so studying them opens paths toward cross‑linguistic comparison, typology, and broader cognitive universals. Moreover, constructional families test how well different construction‑grammar models handle issues such as inheritance, coercion, entrenchment, and multimodality. Studying these families thus becomes a way to evaluate, refine, or fundamentally challenge theoretical frameworks within Cognitive Linguistics.
Perspectives
From my standpoint, the Introduction is valuable because it clearly formulates a key need in contemporary Construction Grammar: to move from isolated case studies toward holistic, interconnected descriptions of grammar. It advocates a research agenda that recognizes the complexity of linguistic knowledge and highlights how constructions interact, overlap, and motivate one another across semantic, pragmatic, conceptual, and even multimodal domains. This integrative vision resonates with the broader goals of Cognitive Linguistics—offering a rich and cognitively plausible understanding of how speakers mentally organize linguistic knowledge
Professor Francisco J. Ruiz de Mendoza
University of La Rioja
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This page is a summary of: Introduction, July 2017, John Benjamins,
DOI: 10.1075/hcp.58.01rui.
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