Stylistic Use Of Phraseological Units In Discourse

Abstract

About ten years ago I had the good fortune to encounter Anita Naciscione’s ground-breaking study Phraseological Units in Discourse: Towards Applied Stylistics (2001), and I remember well my scholarly excitement when I literally devoured page after page of this unique investigation into the stylistic aspects of phraseological units in actual discoursal contexts. Of course, much had been written by then about the multifaceted nature of phraseologisms, with the founding of the European Society of Phraseology in 1999. By now there exists a steady stream of publications on phraseology in the form of dissertations, bibliographies, monographs, handbooks, and articles, but it is fair to say that this plethora of studies has not really advanced the intriguing findings by Anita Naciscione in both their theoretical and applied aspects. Scholars and students of phraseology will and should therefore applaud Anita Naciscione’s skilfully revised and extensively expanded new edition of her previous book with its new title Stylistic Use of Phraseological Units in Discourse (2011). It surveys and analyses recent scholarship and by adding various new sections and chapters goes far beyond the theoretical scope and the contextualised examples of the original volume. Written in clear, readable, and accessible English, it is thus a most welcome book that will without doubt be of major consequence in the future development of international phraseology. There is little jargon but rather precisely defined theoretical vocabulary, all important points are illustrated by appropriate textual examples, and the entire book is presented in a way that shows a scholar in solid command of her subject matter. It is truly a magisterial accomplishment and in many ways a new publication that should be added to libraries and be part of required reading in any course on phraseology.