Creative Construction Grammar Hoffmann Turner Hardback 9781009635257

Creative Construction Grammar\n\nHow do we combine words in the mind? This Element argues that only a domain-general process, Conceptual Blending is used.\n\nThomas Hoffmann (Author), Mark Turner (Author)\n\n9781009635257, Cambridge University Press\n\nHardback, published 8 January 2026\n\n88 pages\n22.9 x 15.2 x 0.6 cm, 0.265 kg\n\nConstructions are long-term pairings in memory of form and meaning. How are they created and learned, how do they change, and how do they combine into new utterances (constructs, communicative performances) in working memory? Drawing on evidence from word-formation (blending, Noun-Noun-compounds) over idioms and argument structure constructions to multimodal communication, we argue that computational metaphors such as 'unification' or 'constraint-satisfaction' do not constitute a cognitively adequate explanation. Instead, we put forward the idea that construction combination is performed by Conceptual Blending \u2013 a domain-general process of higher cog.