Idiomatic and Formulaic Language: Learning, Processing and Representation

Dear Colleagues,

Formulaic language, encompassing a vast range of phrases, idioms, collocations, multiword expressions, constructions and patterns, is now well-established as a topic of interest in studies of vocabulary, lexicography and psycholinguistics. In other words, many approaches now recognize that it is not only “words” (however defined) that occupy space within the lexicon, but also a range of units of varying size and fixedness.  These units contribute to the efficient use of language, playing an important role in “native-like” communication (Pawley & Syder, 1983), and fulfil a range of communicative, social and interpersonal functions (Schmitt, 2017; Wray, 2012). The “processing advantage” offered by formulaic language is robustly supported in the literature, and has been demonstrated for a wide range of phrase types (e.g. Carrol & Conklin, 2020).

Despite the rise in interest over the past two decades (or more), the exact nature of how such units are represented in the mental lexicon remains unclear. Wray (2002) described how a “heteromorphic” lexicon might accommodate this, but it is unclear how well evidenced this assertion is. Experimental results suggest that, at least for idioms, processing by native speakers may combine both “direct retrieval” and “componential analysis” (e.g. Titone, Lovseth, Kasparian & Tiv, 2019), but how this might extend to other types of phrase, including both figurative and literal combinations, remains to be seen. Despite widespread claims of “whole form storage” of formulaic phrases across the literature, direct evidence to support this is scarce (Siyanova-Chanturia and Martinez, 2014) and it is often inferred by studies that take behavioural measures (reaction times, reading patterns) as their dependent variable.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to further the primarily psycholinguistic investigations underway into idiomatic and formulaic language. The focus is deliberately broad, encompassing any topic that could reasonably be included under this heading. Authors are free to define their own criteria for formulaicity, but commonly accepted definitions relate to factors such as frequency, fixedness, predictability and (variable) compositionality. The focus of studies and the methodologies used can vary, but the relevance for psycholinguistic questions of learning, processing and representation should be clear. We welcome submissions on any language, as long as formulaic expressions constitute the main subject under investigation. Authors should carefully consider important contemporary issues such as sample size, appropriateness of design and analysis, and availability of data, analysis scripts, etc., as a part of their submissions.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 400–600 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please forward this document to the guest editor ([email protected]) or to the Languages editorial office ([email protected]). Abstracts will be reviewed by the guest editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer-review.

References

Carrol, G., & Conklin, K (2020). Is all formulaic language created equal? Unpacking the processing advantage for different types of formulaic sequences. Language and Speech, 63(1), 95-122. DOI: 10.1177/0023830918823230.

Pawley, A., and Syder, F. H. (1983). Two puzzles for linguistic theory: Nativelike selection and nativelike fluency. In J. C. Richards and R. W. Schmidt (Eds.), Language and Communication (pp. 191-226). New York, NY: Longman Inc.

Schmitt, N. (March 2017). Vocabulary: Principles and practice. English Teaching Professional, 109, 4-6.

Siyanova-Chanturia, A., & Martinez, R. (2014). The idiom principle revisited. Applied Linguistics, 35(5), 549–569. DOI: 10.1093/applin/amt054.

Titone, D., Lovseth, K., Kasparian, K., & Tiv, M. (2019). Are figurative interpretations of idioms directly retrieved, compositionally built, or both? Evidence from eye movement measures of reading. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology/Revue canadienne de psychologie expérimentale, 73(4), 216–230. DOI: 10.1037/cep0000175.

Wray, A. (2002). Formulaic Language and the Lexicon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Wray , A. ( 2012 ). What do we (think we) know about formulaic language? An evaluation of the current state of play. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 32, 231 – 254.

Dr. Gareth Carrol
Guest Editor

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• psycholinguistics
• second language acquisition
• formulaic language
• idioms
• figurative language
• metaphor
• vocabulary
• phraseology
• construction grammar
• usage-based linguistics