The dynamics of prepositions and prepositional constructions in Spanish

该网络旨在研究西班牙语介词结构及其中介词元素的作用，例如区分a/de“不同于”，vehículo de/a motor“机动车辆”或contact con/a alguien“接触某人”，这些都是罗曼语的典型特征。介词和介词结构都是非常异质和有争议的范畴，在基于范畴的语言学方法中以及在语言习得和加工的心理和神经语言学研究中都没有统一的分类。这主要是由于介词和介词结构都位于词汇-语法连续体上，并且包含传统上被认为是语法（化）和词汇（化）项目的元素。为了掌握介词和介词元素的特殊地位，我们的网络采用了基于用法的结构语法方法，其中介词被视为从结构中的原型槽中学习的一个新兴类别，这些构造槽受到不断的重组，并且原则上永远不会达到静态端点。在建构主义方法中，我们假设不同层次的图式性，从完全图式结构，如[N Prep N]，过部分填充结构，如[N de N]，到完全词汇填充结构，如[vehículo de motor]。网络项目的基本假设是，不同图式水平之间和内部的相互作用和可变性决定了介词的性质和作用。我们认为，这种观点的改变至少在三个方面有助于对介词本质的精确理解。首先，我们不调查孤立的项目，而是关注更大的语言单位（或“结构”）以及由它们连接的各自（词汇、语法或话语）元素。其次，在词汇和句法之间存在连续体的假设，解决了介词和介词所在结构的词汇和语法分界线不明确的问题。第三，我们的观点强调了在不同的复杂性和抽象层次上具体的符号和更多的示意图模式之间的动态关系。依靠共时和历时语料库分析，这些可以在组合和聚合联想网络中捕获。为了确定在结构网络中被认为相关的结构是否在个体说话者中也存在认知联系，我们依赖于心理语言学方法，如启动和眼球追踪。在这种情况下，我们批判性地研究了中级（部分填充）结构的作用，其中介词“支柱”在介词结构的加工中起着核心作用。我们的研究结果及其对西班牙语的理论意义也可以扩展到跨语言比较的角度。

The network aims at investigating Spanish prepositional constructions and the role of the prepositional elements within them, e.g. distinto a/de ‘different from’, vehículo de/a motor ‘motor vehicle’ or contactar con/a alguien ‘contact sb’, which are typical for the Romance languages. Both prepositions and prepositional constructions are extremely heterogeneous and disputed categories and defy a uniform classification in category-based linguistic approaches as well as in psycho- and neurolinguistic studies on language acquisition and processing. This is mostly due to the fact that prepositions and prepositional constructions both lie on a lexicon-grammar continuum and include elements that have traditionally been considered grammatical(ized) and lexical(ized) items.In order to grasp the particular status of prepositions and prepositional elements, our network adopts a usage-based Construction Grammar approach, in which prepositions are seen as an emergent category that is learned from prototypical slots in constructions, which are subject to constant reorganization and where a static endpoint is in principle never attained. In constructionist approaches, we assume different levels of schematicity going from fully schematic constructions, such as [N Prep N], over partially filled constructions, such as [N de N], to fully lexically filled constructions, such as [vehículo de motor]. The underlying hypothesis for the network projects is that the interaction and variability between and within different levels of schematicity determine both the nature and the role of prepositions. We assume that this change of perspective contributes to a refined understanding of the nature of prepositions in at least three ways. First, we do not investigate isolated items but bring into focus larger linguistic units (or ‘constructions’) as well as the respective (lexical, grammatical or discursive) elements that are connected by them. Second, the assumption of a continuum between lexicon and syntax resolves the unclear lexical vs. grammatical cut-off line, both for prepositions and for the constructions in which they occur. Third, our perspective highlights the dynamic relationship between concrete tokens and more schematic patterns at various levels of complexity and abstraction. Relying on synchronic and diachronic corpus analyses, these can be captured in syntagmatic and paradigmatic associative networks. In order to determine whether constructions that can be assumed to be related in a constructional network are also cognitively linked in individual speakers, we rely on psycholinguistic methods such as priming and eye-tracking. In this vein, we critically examine the role of mid-level (partially filled) constructions, in which prepositional ‘pillars’ are attributed a central role for the processing of prepositional constructions. Our findings and their theoretical implications for Spanish can also be extended towards a cross-linguistic comparative perspective.