Patterns, Constructions, and Local Grammar: A Case Study of ‘Evaluation’

TLDR

The article examines adjective complementation patterns within phraseology, positioning its analysis in the broader context of Construction Grammar. It proposes that many meaning–pattern combinations can be identified as constructions, a goal facilitated by deriving a local grammar of evaluation. The local grammar is presented in 22 analyses grouped into five categories, detailing how meaning maps onto pattern, addressing borderline cases, and debating element naming. The study contributes to comparing phraseology approaches, positioning Construction Grammar relative to output‑oriented methods, and offers suggestions for its application in language teaching.

Abstract

Abstract This article takes as its starting point the analysis of adjective complementation patterns and sets this in the context of other studies of phraseology, especially Construction Grammar. The article proposes that a large number of meaning–pattern combinations can be identified as constructions. This endeavour assists and is assisted by the derivation of a local grammar of evaluation. The grammar is made explicit in 22 ‘Analyses’, grouped into five main categories. It includes discussion around the process of mapping meaning on to pattern, the consideration of borderline cases, and the debate around naming of elements. This contributes to a comparison of different approaches to phraseology, and in particular to the place of Construction Grammar in relation to more output-oriented approaches. Suggestions for the application of this approach to language teaching are offered.