INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH TEXT LINGUISTICS
INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH TEXT LINGUISTICS
INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH TEXT LINGUISTICS
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Professor Christopher Gledhill<br />
(Notes de cours, Linguistique du texte anglais, 48LGAN23, EILA, Université Paris Diderot)<br />
<strong>TO</strong>PIC 4. PHRASEOLOGY AND COLLOCATION<br />
4.1 Phraseology<br />
The word ‘phraseology’ has several meanings. The following table sets out three different<br />
perspectives on the term 7 :<br />
Perspective<br />
on Phraseology<br />
Definition<br />
1. in Linguistics the study of idiomatic expressions,<br />
‘phraseological units’ etc.<br />
2. in English the preferred way of combining<br />
words and structures in a<br />
particular discourse 8<br />
3. in Aviation the prescribed words and/or<br />
phrases to be used in ground-toair<br />
communications.<br />
Examples<br />
...cela me fait une belle jambe ...<br />
...to push the envelope...<br />
...all cancer cells express a gene which<br />
produces an enzyme called CYP...<br />
...this gene is expressed in a particular<br />
region of the brain...<br />
… In this study we examine gene<br />
expression ...<br />
> Speedbird 789, cleared to the Val d'Or<br />
airport via flight plan route, maintain 3<br />
000 feet, depart runway 24L, flight<br />
runway heading, squawk 4203.<br />
> We are cleared to the Val d'Or airport<br />
via flight plan route, climbing 3 000 on<br />
runway heading off 24L, squawk 4203.<br />
4.2 Typology of Phraseological Units (PU): 9<br />
In this course, I am going to assume that Phraseology refers to ‘the preferred way of combining<br />
words and structures in a particular discourse’ (i.e. definition 2 in the above table). This definition<br />
covers a lot of different phenomena. In the following table, I have summarised this complex state<br />
of affairs by making a broad difference between<br />
1) Expressions (phrases which have an ‘unpredictable’ or metaphorical semantics)<br />
2) Collocations (phrases which have an ‘unproductive’ or predictable lexicogrammar)<br />
7 For further reading see: Gledhill 1999 Towards a description of English and French phraseology (available from the<br />
university website) and Frath, Pierre & Christopher Gledhill. 2005. Qu’est-ce qu’une unité phraséologique ? (available<br />
from the university website)<br />
8 For further reading see: Gledhill, Christopher 2000. Collocations in Science Writing, Narr: Tübingen, p1<br />
9 Adapted from González-Rey, Isabel. 2002.<br />
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