[E]ven within a single language, grammar provides a set of options for schematizing experience for the purposes of verbal expression. Any utterance is multiply determined by what I have seen or experienced, my communicative purpose in telling you about it, and the distinctions that are embodied in my grammar.
Dan I. Slobin 1996Words are not coined in order to extract the meanings of their elements and compile a new meaning from them. The meaning is there FIRST, and the coiner is looking for the best way to express it without going to too much trouble.
Dwight Bolinger 1975Chapter 7: First combinations, first constructions ■ 173
Chapter 8: Modulating word meanings ■ 201
Chapter 9: Adding complexity within clauses ■ 227
Chapter 10: Combining clauses: More complex constructions ■ 260
Chapter 11: Constructing words ■ 288
These chapters focus on the steps children take as they express more elaborate meanings, beyond one word at a time. They must find which constructions to use for particular meanings and which words can go in each construction. They work out which inflections can be applied to different word-types (nouns, verbs, and adjectives) and the meaning each inflection adds; how to present information to the addressee and how to adopt different perspectives as the speaker; how to combine clauses in talking about complex events; how to analyze complex words and coin new ones. As children become increasingly skilled at communicating what they want and what they think, they extend their uses of words and constructions to convey their meanings.
Review the options below to login to check your access.
Log in with your Cambridge Higher Education account to check access.
If you believe you should have access to this content, please contact your institutional librarian or consult our FAQ page for further information about accessing our content.