10/08/2012 1 Thomas Hoffmann & Alexander Bergs University of Osnabrück ‘Are you construction in disguise…’ Investigating the role of context in football chant constructions 7th International Conference on Construction Grammar ICCG-7 – August 9 – 12, 2012 Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul, Korea Usage-based Construction Grammar and Context Usage-based Construction Grammar approaches claim: • constructions = mental form & meaning pairings • input for mental representations = specific usage events with rich contextual clues “This information consists of phonetic detail, including redundant and variable features, the lexical items and constructions used, the meaning, inferences made from this meaning and from the context, and properties of the social, physical and linguistic context.” (Bybee: 2010, 14; emphasis Hoffmann & Bergs)  our focus: social and physical context  exemplified by: football chant constructions Football Chant Construction · ICCG-7 · 12.08.2012 Usage-based Construction Grammar and Context line-up: football chants • as constructions (= mental form & meaning pairings Goldberg: 1995, 2006) • with context-dependent properties (addressee-directed / identity establishing / complex situational constraints of use) • that are also relevant for many other constructions  greater focus on social and situational factors in Construction Grammar (cf. also Hollmann 2013; Trousdale and Östman 2013) Football Chant Construction · ICCG-7 · 12.08.2012 Usage-based Construction Grammar and Context warm-up: football chants (terrace chants) (cf. Kopiez und Brink 1999) • regular part of football matches since 1960s/1970s • classic chant: You’ll never walk alone von Gerry and the Peacemakers Football Chant Construction · ICCG-7 · 12.08.2012 Usage-based Construction Grammar and Context (1) You’ll never walk alone von Gerry and the Peacemakers Football Chant Construction · ICCG-7 · 12.08.2012 source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlP9KGjqXf4 Usage-based Construction Grammar and Context (1) You’ll never walk alone von Gerry and the Peacemakers • sung since early 1960s • by fans of FC Liverpool • adopted by many other teams due to (Kopiez und Brink 1999: 68): - positive message (‘despite all troubles, you are not alone – walk on‘) - neutral content (no reference to specific club/player) Football Chant Construction · ICCG-7 · 12.08.2012 cf. e.g.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxYJ2SSNVUM