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Being presented with phrases of the kind, 'take the plunge' and 'write a
letter', native speakers of English tend to agree that the former is more
idiomatic that the latter. What exactly is it about these two phrases that
guide speakers' judgments? Adopting a usage-based perspective, this study
addresses the question 'which factors do speakers rely upon when assessing
the idiomaticity of a construction?'.
Rethinking Idiomaticity is the first study to bring together a quantitative
corpus-linguistic approach and quantitative judgment data to explore the
nature of idiomaticity as a complex concept that comprises semantic and
formal variation parameters. Wulff's fascinating book is suitable for
researchers and postgraduates in the fields of lexicography, phraseology,
corpus linguistics and those who are employing quantitative approaches.
Cognitive linguists interested in the empirical underpinnings of their
theoretical assumptions will also find this required reading.
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