Abstract Adele Goldberg

Insight by InsightAdele Goldberg (Princeton University)

Growing evidence is collectively revolutionizing our understanding of language. A general understanding of concepts and categorization is key to appreciating our knowledge of language. We implicitly retain a vast amount of specific information about language, learning tens of thousands of collocations, proper names, and idiomatic phrases. Yet far from a long list of factoids or a “mental dictionary,” our knowledge forms a rich, intricate dynamic network of partially overlapping representations, including highly abstract constructions. Morphology is interrelated to grammar and at least as interesting. Seemingly mysterious and complex judgments yield to functional explanations. These ideas are fundamental to the shift away from synctactocentrism toward far more satisfying explanations of the vast complex phenomena that is language.