Tracking the incidence of formulaic expressions in everyday speech: Methods for classification and verification

Diana Van Lancker-Sidtis, Gail Rallon

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The importance in communication of speech formulas, idioms, proverbs and other formulaic expressions (FEs) has recently been recognized, but studies of their actual usage are still few, and methods of classification remain unrefined. The incidence of FEs in a screenplay, Some Like It Hot, was examined, and found to make up nearly 25% of the phrases in the text. These results are compared with other corpus studies. To verify the classification method used, a survey provided a quantification of native speakers' knowledge of FEs. These findings support a dual model of language ability that includes both configurational and combinatorial modes.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)207-240
Number of pages34
JournalLanguage and Communication
Volume24
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2004

Keywords

  • Fixed expressions
  • Formulaic language
  • Models of language performance
  • Pragmatics of language
  • Text analysis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Psychology
  • Language and Linguistics
  • Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
  • Communication
  • Linguistics and Language

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