A Construction Grammar Analysis of the Passive and Non-Passive Constructions of Multi-Word Verbs in Selected English Dictionaries
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1508.29Keywords:
construction grammar, passive construction, non-passive construction, multi-word verbs, FrameNetAbstract
The study examines how construction grammar accounts for multi-word verbs in their interaction and non-interaction in passive construction. Multi-word verbs are acknowledged for their deviation in syntactic behavior. Construction grammar considers linguistic units, including multi-word verbs and the syntactic patterns they participate in, as constructions. Thus, they should be treated as form-meaning pairings. The study aims to explain why these verbs interact with passive construction whereas others do not. To serve this aim, the study adopts FrameNet as a technique based on frame semantics, the sister theory of construction grammar, accounting for the meaning side of constructions. The researchers collected certain multi-word verb data from English dictionaries, focusing on both words that participate and those that do not participate in multi-word verb construction. A qualitative analysis was undertaken using FrameNet, where the data was processed in terms of semantic frames, the associated frame elements, and frame-to-frame relations. Following this was a quantitative analysis of the processed data to find out the frequencies of the frames, frame elements, and the frame relations associated with the multi-word verbs in the passive and non-passive constructions. The researchers concluded that semantic frames of Filling and Distributed Position are highly sensitive to passive construction, whereas others such as Hit Target and Motion are least associated with this construction. As for the non-passive construction, the semantic frames of Holding Off and Assistance are highly sensitive to such construction, whereas frames such as Cause to Continue and Objective Influence are least associated with it.
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