Organizing constructions in networks

Fluid Construction Grammar supports different ways to organize the inventory of constructions into networks. This is not just usable for descriptive purposes only. It plays an important role in streamlining the processes deciding which construction to consider first. Networks become increasingly more important as the complexity, multifunctionality, and size of a grammar grows. This chapter shows how networks of constructions are represented in FCG and how they are used to optimize language processing. Two examples are explored in more detail. The first example concerns family relations of specificity between constructions and the second one concerns conditional dependencies.