Conclusion: Navigating L2 Collocation Research

Abstract

In this concluding chapter, I will reflect on some of the issues, challenges, and opportunities for research into L2 collocation, referring back to the studies in the book and outward to the broader context. My use of the term ‘collocation’ will be somewhat loose, both so as to capture the range of data types covered in the book, and because there is much to be said that encompasses both word-word collocations and other kinds of multiword (formulaic) strings. More specifically, while it is less than clear that all the features attributed to formulaic language apply to collocations, it is probably true that most of those attributed to collocations also apply to formulaic language. Some costs may ensue from fudging the boundary between the two phenomena, but we would be mistaken if we imagined there is any clearly defined boundary to hold to — and sometimes obscuring one thing is a means of bringing other things to light.