Linguistic Knowledge and Language Use

One of the key challenges in linguistics is to account for the link between linguistic knowledge and our use of language in a way that is both descriptively accurate and cognitively plausible. This pioneering book addresses these challenges by combining insights from Construction Grammar and Relevance Theory, two influential approaches which until now have been considered incompatible. After a clear and detailed presentation of both theories, the author demonstrates that their integration is possible, and explains why this integration is necessary in order to understand exactly how meaning comes about. A new theoretical model is offered that provides groundbreaking insights into the semantics–pragmatics interface and addresses a variety of topics, including the nature of lexical and grammatical concepts, procedural meaning, coercion and idiom processing. This title is part of the Flip It Open Programme and may also be available Open Access. Check our website Cambridge Core for details.

Benoît Leclercq is an Associate Professor in English Linguistics at the University of Paris 8. His research focuses on the semantics–pragmatics interface, with a particular interest in the domain of modality. Recent publications include Models of Modals (co-authored, De Gruyter, 2023).