Formulaic Language and the Lexicon

by Alison Wray

A considerable proportion of our everyday language is "formulaic". It is predictable in form and idiomatic--apparently stored in fixed or semi-fixed chunks. This book explores the nature and purposes of formulaic language, and looks for patterns across the research findings from the fields of discourse analysis, first language acquisition, language pathology and applied linguistics. It gradually builds up a unified description and explanation of formulaic language as a linguistic solution to a larger, non-linguistic, problem, the promotion of self.

Genres: Linguistics, Language

348 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Diana Balasanyan]

A very insightful account of research on formulaic sequences in different contexts. The chapters on first- and second-language acquisition read like an engaging novel. I missed a whole bulk of research on lexical bundles, though.

[Slushy Mccormick]

formulaic sequences are yummy.