Defining relationships in the constructional network: A Semantic Web ontology for Construction Grammar

Abstract Construction Grammar posits that all linguistic knowledge is organized in a complex network of constructions. Documenting the research conducted in Construction Grammar is challenging due to the diversity of theoretical approaches. To address this issue, we present a detailed and flexible ontology designed to describe these links between constructions within the framework of Construction Grammar. It defines several key types of relationships informed by constructicography theory: paradigmatic relations (vertical and horizontal), polysemy links, and metaphorical links. This ontology could be employed by anyone wishing to adopt the framework of Construction Grammar to implement a reference constructicon. We use computer languages designed to represent knowledge graphs to model constructions as nodes and their relationships as links.