The interface between Functional Linguistics and Construction Grammar: theoretical and methodological issues – an interview with Renata Enghels (Ghent University)

Abstract

The interface between Functional Linguistics and Construction Grammar has already proved to be productive for analyses of a wide range of phenomena on several languages. These theoretical frameworks share similarities in terms of the relevance of use in linguistic research. In Functional Linguistics, use is the fundamental reality of language, since language is shaped by the uses we make of it in communicative situations in which we engage. In Constructional Grammar, constructs – concrete instantiations of constructional schemes – are the means by which we build generalizations about patterns that emerge from our experience of language use. Functional Linguistics and Construction Grammar also come closer by recognizing the close relationship between form and function, so crucial to functionalist studies and captured by Construction Grammar in the concept of construction. However, this fruitful dialog can also present challenges of a theoretical-methodological nature, which puts us in the role of thinking about the extent to which these frameworks complement and differentiate each other, as well as which precautions should be taken when working with both. In this sense, we propose this interview with Prof. Dr. Renata Enghels (Ghent University), whose research illustrates very well how the interface between Functional Linguistics and Construction Grammar can result in a potential tool for analyzing phenomena of diverse nature. The questions aim to comprehend the perspective adopted by the researcher on the investigations she has coordinated and her point of view about the current theoretical-methodological challenges of the functional-constructionist approach. We invite you all to read it.