Glossary of Linguistic Terms

Fixed Collocation

Definition: 

A fixed collocation is a phrase or construction

  • which is decompositional, and
  • whose constituents recurrently combine with each other.

 

Features
 
  • Constituents repeatedly co-occur with each other.
  • Constituents are bound specifically to each other.
  • Constituents do not co-occur with other lexical units freely. Only a few, if any, words may be substituted for the co-occurring lexical units.
  • Correct usage is not predictable on the basis of the known function or meaning of the co-occurring lexical units.
See Also: 
Lexical Unit

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library. Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003.

LinguaLinks Ordering Information

Glossary Hierarchy

  • Fixed Collocation