ABSTRACT
Recent years have seen an unprecedented interest in formulaic language as a linguistic, psycholinguistic, cognitive, and pedagogical phenomenon. It has firmly established itself as a cornerstone of vocabulary research. Yet some of the issues associated with formulaic language, its definition(s), characteristics, and types are still poorly understood and are often disregarded.
The present contribution centers on some of the key issues in researching formulaic language. Specifically, it focuses on (1) defining formulaic language and one’s approach to studying it (e.g., frequency-based vs. phraseological approach, etc.); (2) chief properties of formulaic language (e.g., frequency, predictability, figurativeness, compositionality, congruency, etc.), why they matter and how they may affect the way in which learners acquire, use and process formulaic sequences; and, finally, (3) main research strands and methodologies commonly used in researching formulaic language, ranging from questionnaires to corpora to reaction times to eye movements.
With respect to the latter, it is noteworthy that we are witnessing a growing number of interdisciplinary studies that draw on the strengths of applied and corpus linguistics, psycholinguistics, and cognitive science. Much can be gained from such collaboration, but – as with all interdisciplinary work – care needs to be taken if the neighboring fields are to work together in meaningful and fruitful ways.
The chapter has a strong practical focus with the aim to help researchers view formulaic language as a highly multifarious and heterogeneous phenomenon. Particular attention will be paid to recent research, and directions for future research will be outlined where possible. It is hoped that the chapter will be of interest to both earlier career and more established researchers conducting empirical work in the field of formulaic language acquisition, processing, and use.
