Pattern Lattice as a Model for Linguistic Knowledge and Performance

This paper outlines a theoretical model, called the Pattern Lattice Model (PLM) of human linguistic knowledge and performance, and presents a simple implementation of this model. Any expressions found in a natural language L are structured in some ways, and linguists are willing to assume that those expressions are the products of what they call the grammar of L. In contrast, the PLM embodies a “radically memory-based” view of L, and provides a viable alternative to the traditional “grammar-based” model of L. The PLM is also expected to lay the theoretical foundations for the so-called “usage-based model” of language, which lacks solid foundations.