Language comprehension in humans is very robust. With apparent ease, language users can grasp the meaning of utterances made in very bad acoustic conditions or containing grammatical errors. A key mechanism in achieving this robustness is the ability of the listener to predict what the speaker is likely to say. According to recent work in psycholinguistics, these predictions are made by covertl...

This paper reports further progress into a computational implementation of a new formalism for construction grammar, known as Fluid Construction Grammar (FCG). We focus in particular on how hierarchy can be implemented. The paper analyses the requirements for a proper treatment of hierarchy in grammar and then proposes a particular solution based on a new operator, known as the J-operator. The ...