The valency of a °verb is the set of °argument positions that the verb takes together with their grammatical properties.
The valency of a verb is a kind of verb-specific construction, but since most valencies recur in multiple verbs, linguists set up macro-valency constructions (Haspelmath 2026), which are also called "argument structure constructions" (or simply "valency constructions").
valency, valency class (SEM) = a class of events based on the number of central participant roles in the event, also described as the valency of an event. Events are divided into three valency classes: monovalent events, bivalent events, and trivalent events. (Section 6.1.2) ❡ argument structure construction (CXN) = a clause construction that consists of the predicate and the argument phrases that are dependent on that predicate. Example: the clause The engineers placed sandbags on the levee is an instance of an English argument structure construction made up of the predicate (placed) and the combination of three argument phrases, the Subject (the engineers) plus the Object (sandbags) plus the Oblique (on the levee). The function of the argument structure construction is its semantics – the participant roles that the referents of the argument phrases are playing in the event – combined with its information packaging – the relative salience implied by the Subject – Object – Oblique ranking of argument phrases. (Sections 2.2.4, 6.1.1)