ABSTRACT
This chapter expands on the idea of linguistic entities arranged around good examples of that entity like the illustration of 'cup' above, but on syntactic units. It explores some of the features of the 'best', or most prototypical, syntactic unit. The chapter discusses the overall model of syntax, first synchronically in regard to the relationship of these features to each other, and then diachronically, in terms both of feature shift and also its consequences for the nature of the prototype at any given time. It considers what features a syntactic construction possesses that make it prototypical. The chapter speculates on the status of these universally tending features of a syntactic prototype frequency, productivity, salience, transparency, autonomy, naturalness first synchronically and then diachronically. It suggests, following along the lines being established by Cognitive Grammar, that there are more or less prototypical syntactic units as there are more or less prototypical instances of cups, colours, or birds.
