Background to Pattern Grammar and Construction Grammar
Susan Hunston · Cambridge University Press eBooks · 2025
The chapter provides an introduction to the concepts of Pattern Grammar and Construction Grammar, with a discussion of their similarities and differences. Pattern Grammar refers to a notation system devised to record, in a transparent and flexible way, the behaviour of individual words, as part of corpus lexicography. It has been found that words sharing patterns can be grouped according to shared aspects of meaning. In Construction Grammar, constructions are proposed as pairings of form and meaning. Most constructions allow for variability in the words used in them, with meaning belonging to the construction rather than to the word. Thus, both approaches link form and meaning. Many observed phraseologies can be interpreted both as examples of grammar patterns and as instances of constructions. It is therefore reasonable to propose that the extensive corpus research underpinning Pattern Grammar can be used to inform an inventory of constructions.