The R package {collostructions} is an R implementation for collostructional analysis. The package contains functions to perform Simple, Distinctive, and Co-Varying Collexeme Analyses, as well as some useful functions for transformation and the creation of frequency lists. There are sample data sets for all functions with documentation.
The current version is v.0.2.3 (23-June-2026) that is compatible with all R4.x versions on all major operating systems. If you spot an error, drop me a line or use the issues section here and I'll fix it asap.
Binary versions are no longer on my website. Use the installation instructions below. If you prefer to use the method used in the installation tutorial video, download the package according to your OS via the "Releases" tab on the right. NOTE: the binary releases might not always be the latest version - they update with significant changes to the code.
You can install the package from this repository like so:
# Install remotes if you don't have it
install.packages("remotes")
# Install using the full repository path
remotes::install_github("skeptikantin/collostructions")
Note: You may need a Git installation for this to work. If you do not have one, or are unsure how to get one, considering using the binaries via the "Releases" tab on the right (see comment above).
The package is discussed in Episode X of my R tutorial, which you can find here. The tutorial was done quite a while ago with a much earlier version of the package that lacked many of the features it now has, but the principle is still the same.
To load the package:
library(collostructions)
For example, a Simple Collexeme Analysis for the go-V construction, the data of which is provided with the package for illustration:
data(goVerb)
collex(goVerb, 616336708)
For the moment, there are no previous versions on here. If you would like to use an older version, please drop me an email.
The paper that uses the sample code for collex():
Flach, Susanne. 2015. Let's go look at usage: A constructional approach to formal constraints on go-VERB. In Thomas Herbst & Peter Uhrig (eds.), Yearbook of the German Cognitive Linguistics Association (Volume 3), 231-252. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. doi:10.1515/gcla-2015-0013.
A paper that shows the use collostructional attraction in experimental data:
Flach, Susanne. 2020. Schemas and the frequency/acceptability mismatch: Corpus distribution predicts sentence judgements. Cognitive Linguistics 31(4). 609-645. Link (free access)
For an explanation of the method:
Stefanowitsch, Anatol & Stefan Th. Gries. 2003. Collostructions: Investigating the interaction of words and constructions. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics 8(2). 209-243.