Theorising chunks from a corpus perspective

Abstract Summary

Abstract :

The concept of chunk covers a wide range of phenomena that have been identified from the observation of large amounts of naturally-occurring language (corpora). These include multi-word units, lexical bundles, prefabricated phrases, units of meaning, semantic sequences, and grammar patterns. None of these phenomena necessarily presuppose any particular mental operation on the part of the language user. This paper considers the relation between these phenomena and asks to what extent they are different names for the same thing or to what extent they capture different aspects of language use. The paper discusses the role of theories of language in formulating these descriptions. This raises the question of the relation between corpus-based language description and theories of language as a mental and/or social construct. The paper then discusses the specific concept of ‘construction’ and proposes a potential alignment between one phenomenon of chunking – the grammar pattern – and the concept of construction.

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