Lexicogrammar and collocation : a systemic functional exploration

Abstract

In this paper I will explore the relationship between grammatical patterns and lexical collocations. By grammatical patterns I mean both grammatical types (paradigmatic patterns) and grammatical structures (syntagmatic patterns): I am interested both in what grammatical types engender collocational patterns and in what grammatical structural functions the lexical collocates serve. I will interpret collocation as a lexicogrammatical phenomenon - one that is at the same time both lexical and grammatical. I will also suggest that there is a cline between (i) collocations involving particular lexical items and (ii) more general constraints on the co-occurrence of lexicogrammatical types. In the course of the investigation I will suggest how collocational patterns might be explained by reference to semantic motifs.