Does Construction Grammar Deepen Our Understanding of Morphology?

Abstract

Construction grammar is a relatively new approach to accounting for language structure. Some writers have found it useful in analyzing language, but most construction work has been focussed on syntax. The present paper discusses the contribution a construction grammar approach can make to our understanding of moiphology. To date, morphological theory has been cast in terms particular to word structure, with little reference to broader theories in linguistics. It is shown that a construction grammar approach can help to unify morphological theory within a broader theoretical approach to linguistic phenomena.