In linguistics, a grammatical construction is any syntactic string of words ranging from sentences over phrasal structures to certain complex lexemes, such as phrasal verbs.
In generative frameworks, constructions are generally argued to be void of content and derived by the general syntactic rules of the language in question.
In construction grammar, cognitive grammar, and cognitive linguistics, a grammatical construction is a syntactic template that is paired with conventionalized semantic and pragmatic content. In these disciplines, constructions are given a more semiotic character.
Famous quotes containing the words grammatical and/or construction:
“Evil is simply
a grammatical error:
a failure to leap
the precipice
between “he”
and “I.””
—Linda Pastan (b. 1932)
“No real “vital” character in fiction is altogether a conscious construction of the author. On the contrary, it may be a sort of parasitic growth upon the author’s personality, developing by internal necessity as much as by external addition.”
—T.S. (Thomas Stearns)