A Valency Dictionary of English: A Corpus-Based Analysis of the Complementation Patterns of English Verbs, Nouns and Adjectives (Topics in English Linguistics [TiEL] Book 40)

This dictionary provides a valency description of English verbs, nouns and adjectives. Each entry contains a comprehensive list of the complementation patterns identified on the basis of the largest corpus of English available at the present time. All examples are taken directly from the COBUILD/Birmingham corpus. The valency description comprises statements about the quantitative valency of the lexical units established, an inventory of their obligatory, contextually optional and purely optional complements as well as systematic information on the semantic and collocational properties of the complements. An outline of the model of valency theory used in this dictionary is provided in the introduction. I A brief guide to the Valency Dictionary of English 1 The functions of this dictionary 1.1 Valency as a problem in language description, foreign language learning and teaching 1.2 The corpus basis 1.3 Types of information 2 The structure of the dictionary 3 Complement inventory 3.1 Quantitative valency: number of complements 3.2 Qualitative valency: Character of complements 4 The pattern-and-examples section 4.1 Structure 4.2 Patterns without pattern specification - attr. and pred. 4.3 Symbols for elements in other valency patterns 4.4 Frequency of patterns 4.5 Examples 5 The note block 6 Idiomatic phrasal verbs section 7 Final remarks II Valency theory and the Valency Dictionary of English 1 Introduction 2 Valency theory and lexicography 3 The basic assumptions of valency theory: complements and adjuncts 4 The form of the complements 4.1 Complements: phrases and clauses 4.2 Prepositional complements 4.3 Complex complements: one complement or two? 4.4 The category ADV 5 Semantic and lexical aspects of complements 6 Obligatory and optional complements 6.1 Three types of necessity: communication – structure – valency 6.2 Obligatory and optional complements 6.3 Quantitative valency 6.4 Gradience and classificatory problems 7 Valency patterns in this dictionary 7.1 Coverage of complements and adjuncts 7.2 The presentation of the patterns 7.3 The idiomatic phrasal verb section 8 Information on meaning in this dictionary 8.1 The semantic and lexical range of the complements 8.2 The description of word meaning 9 Further information about this dictionary 9.1 Corpus basis 9.2 Examples 9.3 Frequency 9.4 Selection of headwords Bibliography Dictionary Approaches to the dictionary Important symbols occurring in this dictionary Review text: "So ist mit dem Valency Dictionary of English eine Wörterbuch entstanden, das im Gegensatz zu anderen Übersichten und Nachschlagewerken deutlich mehr systematisch gegliederte sowie detailliertere Informationen bezüglich der angeführten Wörter bereitstellt. Gerade dieses Attribute machen das Wörterbuch zu einem wertvollen und praxisorientierten Hilfsmittel für den korrekten Umgang mit der englischen Sprache."Rudolf Emons in: Anglia 2/2007 "Das vorliegende Valenzwörterbuch des Englischen zeigt nun - in überzeugender und erfreulicher Weise -, dass die Debatte um die Valenz keineswegs obsolet geworden und schon gar nicht abgeschlossen ist, dass damit auch keineswegs die - nach wie vor - zentralen Fragen der syntaktischen Valenz in den Hintergrund getreten sind."Gerhard Helbig in: Zeitschrift für Sprachwissenschaft 1/2006 "Ein wahrer Rolls Royce unter den Wörterbüchern."Franz Josef Hausmann in: Lexicographica 21/2005 "The Valency Dictionary of English clearly fills a gap in the large body of lexical reference works available for the English language. The small investment of time necessary before it can be put to effective use is worthwhile not only for linguists, but also for non-native teachers and advanced learners of English."Nadja Nesselhauf in English Language & Linguistics, 9, 2-2005 This dictionary provides a valency description of English verbs, nouns and adjectives. Each entry contains a comprehensive list of the complementation patterns identified on the basis of the largest corpus of English available at the present time. All examples are taken directly from the COBUILD/Birmingham corpus. The valency description comprises statements about the quantitative valency of the lexical units established, an inventory of their obligatory, contextually optional and purely optional complements as well as systematic information on the semantic and collocational properties of the complements. An outline of the model of valency theory used in this dictionary is provided in the introduction. Key Features unique reference work with no comparable publication on the market English is the world's most important lingua franca and the most frequently learned second language The future of English linguistics as envisaged by the editors of Topics in English Linguistics lies in empirical studies which integrate work in English linguistics into general and theoretical linguistics on the one hand, and comparative linguistics on the other. The TiEL series features volumes that present interesting new data and analyses, and above all fresh approaches that contribute to the overall aim of the series, which is to further outstanding research in English linguistics Biographical note: Thomas Herbst, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany; David Heath, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany; Ian F. Roe, University of Reading, UK; Dieter Götz, University of Augsburg, Germany