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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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