Formulaic Language. Alison Wray

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      ALISON WRAY

      Formulaic Language: Pushing the Boundaries

      Published in this series

      BACHMAN: Fundamental Considerations in Language Testing

      BACHMAN and PALMER: Language Testing in Practice

      BRUMFIT: Individual Freedom and Language Teaching

      BRUMFIT and CARTER (eds.): Literature and Language Teaching

      CANAGARAJAH: Resisting Linguistic Imperialism in Language Teaching

      COHEN and MACARO (eds.): Language Learner Strategies

      COOK: Discourse and Literature

      COOK: Language Play, Language Learning

      COOK and SEIDLHOFER (eds.): Principle and Practice in Applied Linguistics

      DÖRNYEI: Research Methods in Applied Linguistics

      ELLIS: SLA Research and Language Teaching

      ELLIS: Task-based Language Learning and Teaching

      ELLIS: The Study of Second Language Acquisition

      ELLIS: Understanding Second Language Acquisition

      ELLIS and BARKHUIZEN: Analysing Learner Language

      FOTOS and NASSAJI (eds.): Form-focused Instruction and Teacher Education

      HOLLIDAY: The Struggle to Teach English as an International Language

      HOWATT: A History of English Language Teaching

      JENKINS: The Phonology of English as an International Language

      JENKINS: English as a Lingua Franca: Attitude and Identity

      KERN: Literacy and Language Teaching

      KRAMSCH: Context and Culture in Language Teaching

      LANTOLF (ed.): Sociocultural Theory and Second Language Learning

      LANTOLF and THORNE: Sociocultural Theory and the Genesis of Second Language Development

      MACKEY (ed.): Conversational Interaction and Second Language Acquisition

      MEINHOF: Language Learning in the Age of Satellite Television

      NATTINGER and DECARRICO: Lexical Phrases and Language Teaching

      PHILLIPSON: Linguistic Imperialism

      SEIDLHOFER (ed.): Controversies in Applied Linguistics

      SELIGER and SHOHAMY: Second Language Research Methods

      SKEHAN: A Cognitive Approach to Language Learning

      STERN: Fundamental Concepts of Language Teaching

      STERN (eds. P. Allen and B. Harley): Issues and Options in Language Teaching

      TARONE and YULE: Focus on the Language Learner

      WIDDOWSON: Aspects of Language Teaching

      WIDDOWSON: Defining Issues in English Language Teaching

      WIDDOWSON: Practical Stylistics

      WIDDOWSON: Teaching Language as Communication

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      First published 2008

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      ISBN: 978 0 19 442245 1

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      Preface and Acknowledgments

      My aim in the present book and my previous work has been to assemble specific evidence regarding the nature of formulaic language and to develop theoretical models that can explain it. Part of that endeavour entails evaluating the applicability of an explanation at the extremes of its range, and that is why this book is about boundaries. As the Introduction explains, it is not to be expected that all linguists agree with my conclusions, nor does it matter. What matters is that we continue to extend our exploration until, by degrees, we establish clearer boundaries between what is and is not formulaic.

      The book has been in the planning for several years, during which I have talked to many people, engaged in huge amounts of email correspondence, read a lot of books and papers, and listened to a great many conference presentations. Some forums have been particularly valuable in inspiring new ideas, including the 2005 Phraseology conference in Louvain-la-Neuve, the 2007 Formulaic Language Symposium at Milwaukee, and the Cardiff meetings and international postgraduate conferences of the Formulaic Language Research Network. Even though I try to keep notes of conversations, useful quotes and so on, it is certainly possible that I have appropriated others’ ideas without realizing it. If I have, I apologize, and trust it will be construed as flattery.

      There are many people to thank for their various contributions. I have had inspiring and challenging conversations and/or email exchanges about formulaic language with, amongst others, Ben Bergen, Chris Butler, Georgie Columbus, Ding Yenren, Nick Ellis, Britt Erman, Charles and Lily Wong Fillmore, Tess Fitzpatrick, Lise Fontaine, George Grace, Jeff Holman, Martin Kayman, Kon Kuiper, Camilla Lindholm, Iain McGee, Eugène Mollet, Kazuhiko Namba, Christine Pegg, Ann Peters, Qi Yan, John Schumann, Mike Stubbs, Su Yanling, Paul Tench, Sam Tomblin, Gordon Tucker, Diana van Lancker Sidtis, Arie Verhagen, Ulrich Von Hecker, and Beatrice Warren.

      Susan Hunston, Mike Stubbs, and Gordon Tucker read and commented on an early draft of Chapter 3, and Chris Butler, Tom Cobb, and Henry Widdowson provided extensive very helpful comments on the entire manuscript. The final version is much the better for the efforts of these contributors, though any or all of them may, I fear, still take exception to some of the things I say. Benedetta Bassetti, Irina Dahlmann, Sioned Davies, Boyd Davis, Seza Dogruoz, Monika Dóla, Nick Ellis, Tony Fairman, Fanny Forsberg, Pauline Foster, Sylvia Grant, James Hegarty, Jeffrey Holman, Ragnhild Knutsson, Kon Kuiper, Ian MacKenzie, Richard Ogden, Rebecca Shaftman, Norbert Schmitt, and Alessandra Tanesini all came up with good ideas, sent me information, or answered questions on aspects of their work. With respect to trumpet and bugle calls, I have had much help from experts David Edwards, Major Richard Powell, Crispian Steele-Perkins, and Major Gordon Turner. Graham Rock kindly helped with the preparation of the musical figures. My limited understanding of motor sport flags was patiently