Applied Cognitive Construction Grammar: A usage-based approach to the teaching of phrasal verbs (and other constructions)

The current article presents a case for a constructionist turn in pedagogical grammar. To that end, the framework termed Applied Cognitive Construction Grammars (ACCxG) is introduced as a means to arrive at a systematic characterization of linguistic constructions in general and of phrasal verbs (PVs) in particular. Hence, PVs are defined as motivated pairings of form and meaning (constructions) embedded in semantic networks in which metaphorical meanings are motivated by more basic ones. In order to illustrate this proposal, a classification of PVs (which is deemed to align with L2 learners’ robust category formation abilities) is introduced. Furthermore, the tenets of a constructionist task-based type of pedagogy are outlined as a proposal for further research in the field of pedagogical construction grammar.