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Composing or not composing? Towards Distributional Construction Grammar

Blache, P.*, Rambelli, G., Chersoni, E., & Lenci, A. (2026). Composing or not composing? Towards Distributional Construction Grammar. Constructions and Frames.
 
DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1075/cf.25004.bla

 

Abstract

Understanding how language comprehension works remains a central challenge. While meaning is traditionally viewed as incrementally constructed through compositional processes, numerous studies show that non-compositional mechanisms also play a crucial role. In this paper, we propose a unified framework grounded in Construction Grammar and Distributional Semantics that integrates both aspects. In this perspective, we extend Sign-Based Construction Grammar by formalizing meaning as the interaction of three semantic components: constructions, frames, and events, to which distributional information is integrated. We further introduce a processing mechanism in which meaning emerges through activation dynamics, evaluated and controlled via similarity and unification.

 

Keywords

construction grammar, hybrid access to the meaning, distributional semantics, compositionality, comprehension

 

 





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