On the 'holistic' nature of formulaic language

10.26686/wgtn.13670647 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Anna Siyanova

Keyword(s):

Language Processing ◽

Formulaic Language ◽

Interested Reader ◽

Formulaic Sequences ◽

Comprehensive Review ◽

On Line

© 2015 2015 by De Gruyter Mouton. Many applied and corpus linguists entertain the idea of collocations, and other types of formulaic language, being processed as unanalysed, or holistic units. It has, indeed, been demonstrated that, due to their frequency and predictability, formulaic sequences are processed quantitatively faster than matched novel phrases. This finding implies an important role of phrasal frequency in language processing and highlights the contribution of entrenchment of a particular phrasal configuration in memory. This finding, however, cannot be taken to suggest that formulaic sequences are necessarily processed as unanalysed, or holistic units. The present paper reviews some of the recent studies and explains why a processing advantage observed for formulaic sequences over novel phrases should not be equated with holistic storage and processing. The present paper is not intended as an overview of the studies on on-line processing of formulaic language. For a comprehensive review of the method and findings specific to formulaic sequences, their on-line representation and processing, we direct an interested reader to Siyanova-Chanturia (2013) and Siyanova-Chanturia and Martinez (2014).

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Constructing a corpus-informed list of Arabic formulaic sequences (ArFSs) for language pedagogy and technology

International Journal of Corpus Linguistics ◽

10.1075/ijcl.16088.alg ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 202-228

Author(s):

Ayman Alghamdi ◽

Eric Atwell

Keyword(s):

Natural Language Processing ◽

Mixed Methods ◽

Natural Language ◽

Language Processing ◽

Native Speakers ◽

Formulaic Sequences ◽

Learning And Teaching ◽

Language Pedagogy ◽

Language Resource

Abstract This study aims to construct a corpus-informed list of Arabic Formulaic Sequences (ArFSs) for use in language pedagogy (LP) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) applications. A hybrid mixed methods model was adopted for extracting ArFSs from a corpus, that combined automatic and manual extracting methods, based on well-established quantitative and qualitative criteria that are relevant from the perspective of LP and NLP. The pedagogical implications of this list are examined to facilitate the inclusion of ArFSs in the process of learning and teaching Arabic, particularly for non-native speakers. The computational implications of the ArFSs list are related to the key role of the ArFSs as a novel language resource in the improvement of various Arabic NLP tasks.

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Formulaic Sequences as Fluency Devices in the Oral Production of Native Speakers of Polish

Research in Language ◽

10.2478/rela-2014-0004 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 113-129 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ewa Guz

Keyword(s):

Native Speakers ◽

Speech Rate ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Formulaic Language ◽

Formulaic Sequences ◽

Oral Production ◽

Time Ratio ◽

Temporal Measures ◽

The Relationship

In this paper we attempt to determine the nature and strength of the relationship between the use of formulaic sequences and productive fluency of native speakers of Polish. In particular, we seek to validate the claim that speech characterized by a higher incidence of formulaic sequences is produced more rapidly and with fewer hesitation phenomena. The analysis is based on monologic speeches delivered by 45 speakers of L1 Polish. The data include both the recordings and their transcriptions annotated for a number of objective fluency measures. In the first part of the study the total of formulaic sequences is established for each sample. This is followed by determining a set of temporal measures of the speakers' output (speech rate, articulation rate, mean length of runs, mean length of pauses, phonation time ratio). The study provides some preliminary evidence of the fluency-enhancing role of formulaic language. Our results show that the use of formulaic sequences is positively and significantly correlated with speech rate, mean length of runs and phonation time ratio. This suggests that a higher concentration of formulaic material in output is associated with faster speed of speech, longer stretches of speech between pauses and an increased amount of time filled with speech.

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