Valency constructions in teaching Czech for foreigners

Hudousková, Andrea (2026) Valency constructions in teaching Czech for foreigners. STUDIA SLAVICA ACADEMIAE SCIENTIARUM HUNGARICAE, 71 (S). pp. 113-133. ISSN 0039-3363

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Abstract

The paper adopts cognitive and corpus-based approaches to address Czech verb valency from the perspective of non-native speakers, taking into account the frequency of valency patterns, verb lemmas, and core meanings of Czech morphemic cases. Verb valency generally poses a challenge for L2 learners, who tend to adhere to core valency patterns even at high proficiency levels. However, the degree of attention that verb valency receives in L2 Czech teaching, and how it is presented and practised, are not satisfactory. This is because a formal approach to Czech grammar still prevails, and syntactic issues are neglected or postponed until higher proficiency levels are reached. Although two valency handbooks are available for L2 Czech learners, neither attempts to categorise the patterns from a semantic perspective. The construction grammar framework employed in this study is intended to address the limitations of existing approaches. Valency constructions are understood as partly predictable pairs of form and meaning acquired through linguistic experience; the greater the amount of empirical evidence, the more stable the mental representation. Crucially, the ease of conceptualising and acquiring valency constructions is impacted by their type and token frequency, and the semantic homogeneity of verb lemmas that occur in them. Corpus data offer valuable insights into the relationship between valency patterns and verb lemmas, which has important pedagogical implications for classroom practice: initially, the most frequent lemmas and prominent valency constructions can be focused on, before moving on to less central structures and meanings at higher proficiency levels, in order to promote their active mastery.

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