The complete analysis of formulaic language, synthesizing all current approaches and offering a full introduction to the field.

This is the first book to address formulaic language directly and provide a foundation of knowledge for graduates and researchers in early stages of study of this important language phenomenon. It is also suitable for students of linguistics, applied linguistics, and language teacher education. The information that currently exists is scattered throughout articles and book chapters across a range of subfields of linguistics and applied linguistics. Over the past few decades there has been a steadily increasing interest and research focus on the phenomenon of formulaic language in the fields of linguistics and applied linguistics. Slowly, a consistent definition has emerged, centring around the idea that formulaic sequences are multi-word units with specific meanings or functions, and some evidence points to their being processed mentally as wholes. Researchers from diverse backgrounds have identified the nature and roles of formulaic sequences in language acquisition and production, in the construction of text and discourse, in spoken and written language, and in language teaching. The increasing volume, diversity, and complexity of the state of knowledge about this emerging area of study is marshalled by this intelligent and well-written book.

"A useful reference book ... in this extremely important and vast field of language study." - Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching

"An insightful, essential and comprehensive account of formulaic language ... Given the wide range of topics covered, the book will prove to be a very useful resource for researchers, practitioners of language acquisition, and classroom teachers." - International Journal of English Studies