Development dynamics and cognitive-semantic parameters of English ditransitive construction: verification from the perspective of corpus linguistics

Abstract

The relevance of the paper is substantiated by the representation of the analysis of utterances generated on the template of ditransitive construction via the methods of cognitive and corpus linguistics. The set of issues raised by the authors consists in the necessity of looking out for valid reasons and sufficient evidence which confirm that analytical tools of linguistic corpus possess all the necessary resources and effective toolkit to single out the true phenomena of language. The major objective of the research is to explore the potential of corpus linguistics technologies as exemplified by the representative sample of empirical data via quantitative, statistical and collexeme analysis of utterances with ditransitive construction which correlate with its propositions and the scenarios derived from them. The above mentioned methods of corpus-based analysis shed light on the primary scenarios, which motivate ditransitive construction semantic representations; the dynamics of its semantic extension from diachronic perspective; the way ditransitive construction develops in the synchronic aspect; quantitative index of verbs accepted by the construction; semantic parameters of lexical units which objectivize agent, recipient and patient arguments of construction. Relying on the results obtained due to the processing of vast linguistic data from diachronic and synchronic perspective the authors unleash the potential of corpus linguistics technologies and substantiate advantages of their use as a means for verification and extension of information about language facts which emerge within the paradigm of cognitive linguistics theoretical and methodological background.