Abstract

In this paper I want to re-examine the key corpus-linguistic notion of semantic preference. This is defined here as the collocation of a lexical item with items from a specific (more or less general) semantic subset. The article aims to throw some light on the term semantic preference, and to examine in more detail some aspects of semantic preference that are frequently neglected in research. It also discusses how semantic preference interacts with syntax and meaning, and what happens when semantic preferences are not ‘realized’ in context. Finally, it seeks to illuminate the distinction between semantic preference and semantic prosody, and points to future research in this area.