Exploring the Boundaries of Formulaic Sequences : A Corpus-based Study of Lexical Substitution and Insertion in Contemporary British English

Kelly Dutton

ISBN 10: 3639131118 / ISBN 13: 9783639131116

Published by VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, 2009

About this Item

nach der Bestellung gedruckt Neuware - Printed after ordering - Formulaic Sequences are multi-word prefabricatedphrases of either literal (e.g. good morning) ornon-literal (e.g. kick the bucket) reading. Aproperty of such sequences is variation. Formulaicsequences can be subject to varying degrees oflexical substitutions, grammatical variations, andinsertions. This book investigates the boundaries ofvariation: the limits of lexical substitution andinsertions for formulaic sequences, i.e. how muchvariation can occur before the sequence stops beingfixed and becomes context-dependent. The boundariesbetween one formulaic sequence and another and theboundaries between a literal and non-literal readingare also explored. The Longman Idioms Dictionary(1998) and the British National Corpus (BNC) providedthe data for the research, and the technique andanalysis used contribute to lexicography and informcognitive models of storing and organizing language.

Seller Inventory # 9783639131116

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Exploring the Boundaries of Formulaic Sequences : A Corpus-based Study of Lexical Substitution and Insertion in Contemporary British English
• Publisher: VDM Verlag Dr. Müller
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3639131118
• ISBN 13: 9783639131116
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 220W x 150H x 14D millimeters 220 millimeters width by 150 millimeters height by 14 millimeters depth
• Weight: 377 grams

About this title

Synopsis

Formulaic Sequences are multi-word prefabricated phrases of either literal (e.g. good morning) or non-literal (e.g. kick the bucket) reading. A property of such sequences is variation. Formulaic sequences can be subject to varying degrees of lexical substitutions, grammatical variations, and insertions. This book investigates the boundaries of variation: the limits of lexical substitution and insertions for formulaic sequences, i.e. how much variation can occur before the sequence stops being fixed and becomes context-dependent. The boundaries between one formulaic sequence and another and the boundaries between a literal and non-literal reading are also explored. The Longman Idioms Dictionary (1998) and the British National Corpus (BNC) provided the data for the research, and the technique and analysis used contribute to lexicography and inform cognitive models of storing and organizing language.

About the Author

Kelly L. Dutton, PhD: Studied English Language and Linguistics at the University of Sheffield.