Lexico-Grammar and Sentence Structuring

Keywords: Collocation, Corpus, Concordance, Semantic Patterns.

What is Lexico-Grammar? Why Use This Perspective?

This concept addresses the relationship between grammatical patterns and lexical collocations, meaning how certain grammatical types and structures (paradigmatic and syntagmatic patterns) combine with specific words to form meaning units that are both lexical and grammatical.The term, introduced by renowned linguist M.A.K. Halliday, is an amalgamation of the words "lexicon" and "grammar." Adjective: lexicogrammatical.
It is understood that these combinations are not mere exceptions but form a continuum between specific collocations and more general co-occurrence restrictions in lexico-grammar.
Teaching Spanish from a lexico-grammatical perspective is beneficial because it helps students understand and use the language more naturally and effectively. This approach emphasizes the interconnectedness of vocabulary and grammar, showing how words and grammatical structures combine to create precise and contextually appropriate meanings.
This approach has been implemented in many other English speaking countries with unanimous success, thanks to the pioneering work by Dr Di Conti. Our site draws from that expertise but adapts it to the specific requirements of ACTFL (American Council ForTeaching Languages) with a strong cultural content. The Spanish language on this site embraces the varieties of the Hispanic world.