Broadly, my present research interests involve the following four domains and perspectives. Many studies actually also concern the connections between them.

1. The expression of causality.
   I have been investigating this topic both at the level of verbs and clauses (causative contructions) and on the level of discourse (causal conjunctions). Major Publications include  Kemmer & Verhagen 1994, Verhagen & Kemmer 1997,  Stukker, Sanders & Verhagen 2008, 2009 (see also Ninke Stukker’s dissertation, from 2005).

2. Intersubjectivity.
   This area concerns an integrated cognitive linguistic approach assigning a central role to intersubjectivity (encompassing several phenomena previously seen as manifestations of subjectivity), both in human cognition in general and in grammar in particular. The major publication is my monograph Constructions of Intersubjectivity (OUP 2005, extended paperback edition 2007). The book sparked several responses, including an extensive commentary and discussion (Cognitive Linguistics 19, 2008: 107-143). A special page on this topic can be found through the drop down menu above.

3. Construction grammar.
   I apply this approach to the grammar of Dutch and to (allegedly) abstract syntax (such as complementation and long-distance Wh-movement), while also attempting to strengthen its conceptual foundations. Major publications include Verhagen 2003c, 2005 (in Dutch, an invited contribution to a special issue of Nederlandse Taalkunde), 2006a, 2007b, 2009b, 2010b.

4. Evolutionary linguistics.
   Originating in the study of diachronic aspects of semantic phenomena (in the domain of causality) and grammatical constructions, I am developing Darwin’s algorithm (for the interaction between variation, selection, and replication) into a comprehensive conceptual framework for the study of both linguistic usage and linguistic systems, as instantiations of cultural evolutionary phenomena. This research also extends to the issue of the biological evolution of language (i.e. of conventional, symbolic behaviour). Major publications include Verhagen 2002; Chapter 1 of Verhagen 2005; Verhagen 2008d, 2010c; Zuidema & Verhagen 2010a; Landsbergen, Lachlan, ten Cate & Verhagen 2010 (see also Frank Landsbergen’s dissertation from 2009).
   On July 12, 2011, Jordan Zlatev (Lund University) and I organized a theme session “Language Evolution: Biological, cultural and bio-cultural” at the 11th International Cognitive Linguistics Conference in Xi’an (China). See under News for the slides of my introductory talk and my paper on conventionality in the perspective of “Tinbergen’s 4 why’s”.