Lecture 12 Collocations and Idioms解析

create get around overcome present raise relieve solve sweep away
difficulty
Selectional restrictions (选择限制)


Selectional restrictions are the semantic-syntactic restrictions on compatibility between lexical elements which prevent the derivation of agrammatical sentences. In other words, collocation can be dealt with according to the grammatical rules and the semantic features of lexical items.



Collocation: [<collocate, to go together] the tendency for certain words to occur together clear sky clear conscience clear road

Collocations: lexical items consisting of lexical words from different word classes which co-occur habitually
Lecture 12 Collocations and Idioms
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Yan Chen Email: cyan@xmu.edu.cn
Major contents


12.1 Collocation (搭配) 12.1.1 Association and collocation 12.1.2 Two perspectives to approach collocation 12.2 Idioms 12.2.1 Idiom: definition and characteristics 12.2.2 Types of English idioms 12.2.3 Variations of idioms


12.1.1 Association (联想) and collocation

Definition: the process of conscious association of two or more aspects of the imagination associative rules ☺temporal contiguity ☺spatial contiguity ☺similarity ☺contrast

He frightened that he was coming. frighten: +that-clause


Collocational competence

Learners need to develop a habit of paying attention to how words are collocated instead of merely memorizing isolated words.




make a study of/ do a research on (into) make an analysis of/give an introduction to for this purpose/to this end by this method/in this way the method for/the way of be able to do/be capable of doing be different from/the difference between…and… be dependent on/be independent of

Sets of elements which can be substituted one for another in a given context are said to be in paradigmatic relationship.
She will arrive today. She will arrive tomorrow.
Βιβλιοθήκη Baidu
Syntagmatic relations (横组合关系)

Elements which combine to form a larger unit are said to be in syntagmatic relationship. She will arrive today.

Paradigmatic relationship (纵聚合关系)
12.1.2 Two perspectives to approach collocation
Co-occurrence (共现) Selectional restrictions (选择限制)


Co-occurrence (共现)

Co-occurrence refers to the permitted syntagmatic combinations of words, i.e. the usual occurrence of one word with another.
Semantic restrictions

The stone thinks. Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.

syntactic restrictions

He elapsed the man. elapse: vi. (intransitive verb that does not take any object)

He speaks walks cries says
slowly. quickly loudly clearly
syntagmatic relationship (sequence)
paradigmatic relationship (substitution)
collocation & collocations