About PhraConRep

CA22115: PhraConRep

The COST Action CA22115 A Multilingual Repository of Phraseme Constructions in Central and Eastern European Languages (PhraConRep) is dedicated to a specific type of multi-word Constructions, referred to herein as “Phraseme Constructions” (PhraCons). PhraCons are defined as patterns of idiomatic word combinations consisting of fixed lexical elements (“anchors”) and empty slots for fillers. Both lexical anchors and lexical fillers must meet certain criteria specific to the given PhraCon.

Recognizing which words typically belong together is crucial for language users to communicate effectively. Researchers engaging in actual language use analysis have increasingly adopted the idea that language is built on conventionalized pairings of form and meaning of different levels of abstractions, called Constructions. Being situated at the intersection between grammar and lexicon, PhraCons are a Construction type that is still poorly recorded and understood, particularly in the less intensely studied languages of Europe. PhraConRep aims to create an infrastructure for comparative research on PhraCons in languages of Central and Eastern Europe. Its main goal is to develop a multilingual repository of PhraCons in the Action languages for researchers, language learners, teachers, and professional translators.

Based on two pivot languages, German and Russian, equivalents of PhraCons are established in eleven Slavic languages (Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Polish, Serbian, Slovenian, Slovakian, and Ukrainian) as well as Albanian, Hungarian and Turkish.

By investigating PhraCons as a relevant aspect of living language use in these languages, this COST Action contributes to the preservation of Europe’s multilingual cultural heritage and the European Language Policy.

As an inclusive international network, PhraConRep has 5 Working Groups (WGs):

• WG 1. Theory and Typology
• WG 2. Repository Development
• WG 3. Entry Processing and Translation
• WG 4. Learning and Teaching
• WG 5. Dissemination and Communication

At present, 130 Working Group participants from more than 30 European countries are involved in CA22115 “PhraConRep,” including linguists, translators, data scientists and other experts at various stages of their careers. The members of this international network aim to collaborate to foster and empower research in line with the goals and deliverables of PhraConRep.

This Action is funded by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST).