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Formulaic Language: Volume 1. Distribution and historical change: Distribution and Historical Change v. 1 (Typological Studies in Language)

This two volume collection on formulaic language is among the first ones in the field. The authors of the present book represent a diverse group of international scholars in linguistics and psychology. The language data analyzed are similarly diverse, including languages such as Arabic, Japanese, Polish, and Spanish and extending to various styles. While volume 1 focuses on the very definition of linguistic formulae and on their grammatical, semantic, stylistic, and historical aspects, volume 2 explores how formulae are acquired and lost by speakers of a language, in what way they are psychologically real, and their functions in discourse. Since most of the papers are readily accessible to readers with only basic familiarity with linguistics, besides being a resource in linguistic research, the book may be used in courses on discourse structure, pragmatics, semantics, language acquisition, and syntax.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009