formulaic language

A term used in some theoretical and DESCRIPTIVE studies of GRAMMAR to refer to UTTERANCES which lack normal SYNTACTIC OR MORPHOLOGICAL characteristics. (It may also be used, literally, to mean ‘language containing formulae’, or special symbols, as in scientific writing.) Sentences such as God save the Queen, The more the merrier, How do you do? and Many happy returns do not contrast in the usual way with other sentences in the language, e.g. Few happy returns, How will you do? Such FOSSILIZED structures, often used in limited social situations, have also been called ‘bound’, ‘fixed’, ‘frozen’, ‘set’, ‘prefabricated’, ‘routine’ or ‘STEREOTYPED expressions’. The notion can be broadened from individual utterances to larger spoken or written events. Formulaic discourse refers to any fixed form of words which serves a particular social purpose, such as greeting exchanges, skipping rhymes, or the words of a marriage ceremony; it contrasts with free discourse. The notion is seen as important also in PSYCHOLINGUISTICS, where it is recognized as a phenomenon which facilitates language PROCESSING and language ACQUISITION.