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Communication and grammar: A synthesis.

Thom Scott-Phillips¹

¹Department of Cognitive Science, Central European University.

Psychological Review

|February 18, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Synthesizing communication and grammar theories reveals language as a coordination problem. Grammars, as networks of "constructions," simplify this coordination, offering new insights into language learning and evolution.

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Area of Science:

Linguistics
Cognitive Science
Philosophy of Language

Background:

Language is central to human culture and society, possessing unique properties like grammatical structure.
A significant gap exists in synthesizing our understanding of communication and grammar.
Synthesizing knowledge across domains can lead to deeper insights and novel perspectives.

Purpose of the Study:

To bridge the gap between contextualist theories of communication and constructionist grammar.
To present a cohesive picture of linguistic communication by integrating these two influential frameworks.
To offer fresh perspectives on classical issues in the language sciences.

Main Methods:

The study proposes a synthesis of contextualist communication theories and constructionist grammar.
It frames linguistic communication as a coordination problem related to speakers' informative intentions.
Grammars are conceptualized as networks of microconventions ('constructions') facilitating this coordination.

Main Results:

The integration of contextualist and constructionist approaches provides a unified and clear picture of linguistic communication.
Grammars, understood as networks of constructions, significantly ease the coordination problem in communication.
This synthesis offers new perspectives on literal meaning, language acquisition, and language evolution.

Conclusions:

The synthesis of communication and grammar theories offers a powerful framework for understanding language.
Constructions play a crucial role in enabling efficient linguistic coordination.
This integrated view has implications for understanding language learning, evolution, and meaning.