Lexical Priming : A New Theory of Words and Language

Michael Hoey

ISBN 10: 0415328624 / ISBN 13: 9780415328623

Published by Routledge, 2005

About this Item

nach der Bestellung gedruckt Neuware - Printed after ordering - 'Lexical Priming 'proposes a radical new theory of the lexicon, which amounts to a completely new theory of language based on how words are used in the real world. Here they are not confined to the definitions given to them in dictionaries but instead interact with other words in common patterns of use. Classical theory holds that grammar is generated first and words are then dropped into the opportunities thus created; Hoey's theory reverses the roles of lexis and grammar, arguing that lexis is complexly and systematically structured and that grammar is an outcome of this lexical structure. He shows that the phenomenon of 'collocation', the property of language whereby two or more words seem to appear frequently in each other's company (e.g., 'inevitable' and 'consequence'), offers a clue to the way language is really organized. Using concrete statistical evidence from a corpus of newspaper English, but also referring to travel writing and literary text, the author argues that words are 'primed'for use through our experience with them, so that everything we know about a word is a product of our encounters with it. This knowledge explains how speakers of a language succeed in being fluent, creative and natural. Provocative and compelling, 'Lexical Priming 'presents an original new theory, offering a rigorous but accessible framework for the study of language. It is a must for anyone involved in corpus linguistics or with an interest in what shapes the way we use and understand words.

Seller Inventory # 9780415328623

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Lexical Priming : A New Theory of Words and Language
• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication Date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0415328624
• ISBN 13: 9780415328623
• Binding: Buch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 240W x 161H x 17D millimeters 240 millimeters width by 161 millimeters height by 17 millimeters depth
• Weight: 499 grams

About this title

Synopsis

Lexical Priming proposes a radical new theory of the lexicon, which amounts to a completely new theory of language based on how words are used in the real world. Here they are not confined to the definitions given to them in dictionaries but instead interact with other words in common patterns of use.

Using concrete statistical evidence from a corpus of newspaper English, but also referring to travel writing and literary text, the author argues that words are 'primed' for use through our experience with them, so that everything we know about a word is a product of our encounters with it. This knowledge explains how speakers of a language succeed in being fluent, creative and natural.

About the Author

Michael Hoey is a leading figure in English Language and Applied linguistics and a highly respected researcher and author. His Patterns of Lexis of Text (OUP) won the Duke of Edinburgh English Speaking Union prize in 1991. He is currently Baines Professor of English Language at the University of Liverpool.