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Collocation Meaning: Definition, Examples, and Translations

๐Ÿ”ค
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collocation

[หŒkษ’lษ™หˆkeษชสƒษ™n ]

Definitions

Context #1 | Noun

common

A grouping of words that are commonly used together to form a specific meaning or expression.

Synonyms

phrase, word combination.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

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Word Description / Examples
collocation

Can also refer to the arrangement or sequence of words in a text or sentence.

  • The collocation of 'quickly' and 'ran' makes the sentence sound more natural
word combination

Typically refers to any general combination of words without emphasizing their naturalness or frequency of use. Often used in more casual or non-technical contexts.

  • The word combination 'blue sky' is used to describe clear weather
phrase

Used to refer to a small group of words standing together as a conceptual unit, often forming a component of a clause. Common in both spoken and written language.

  • 'Break a leg' is a famous phrase used to wish someone good luck

Examples of usage

  • "Kick the bucket" is a common collocation in English language.
  • The collocation of "strong coffee" is more natural than "powerful coffee."
Context #2 | Noun

linguistics

A sequence of words or terms that co-occur more often than would be expected by chance.

Synonyms

lexical bundle, word partnership.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

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Word Description / Examples
collocation

Frequently used to describe words that are statistically likely to appear together in a text or speech. It can also be synonymous with the first 'collocation' entry.

  • For instance, 'heavy rain,' 'deep sleep,' and 'fast food' are common collocations
word partnership

Primarily used in educational materials to help language learners understand which words commonly go together. This term emphasizes the relationship between words that frequently appear together in phrases.

  • 'Word partnership': Students might learn that 'take a break,' 'do homework,' and 'give advice' are typical word partnerships
lexical bundle

This term is mainly used in computational linguistics and language studies to describe sequences of words that commonly appear together in texts. These bundles are often identified through text analysis.

  • Common lexical bundles might include phrases like 'in the case of,' 'one of the most,' and 'by means of
  • '

Examples of usage

  • In English, the words "make" and "do" often collocate with certain nouns.
  • Collocations are important in language learning and translation.

Translations

To see the translation, please select a language from the options available.

Interesting Facts

Linguistic Studies

  • Many languages have natural combinations of words that sound right to native speakers, like 'make a cake' instead of 'do a cake.'
  • Linguists study collocations to understand how language works and how people use words together.
  • Collocations can vary by culture, meaning what sounds normal in one language might not in another.

Language Learning

  • Learning collocations helps language learners sound more fluent and natural.
  • Using collocations correctly can make your speech and writing more dynamic and vibrant.
  • Teachers often encourage students to memorize phrases instead of just individual words for better communication.

Computational Linguistics

  • Experts use algorithms to analyze word combinations in large texts to find common collocations.
  • Natural language processing applications leverage collocations for improving machine translation accuracy.
  • Collocation dictionaries are created to help users find word pairs that native speakers use frequently.

Cultural Significance

  • Certain collocations can show cultural traits; for instance, 'do business' reflects a culture of action and productivity.
  • In pop culture, phrases like 'make love' or 'jump the gun' reveal shared understandings among speakers.
  • Collocations can also convey emotions uniquely, such as 'break someone's heart' versus 'hurt someoneโ€™s feelings.'

Creative Writing

  • Writers use collocations to enhance their style, creating richer and more engaging content.
  • Familiar collocations can evoke imagery and emotional responses, making writing relatable.
  • Poets often play with collocations to craft unexpected phrases that challenge conventional language use.

Origin of 'collocation'

The term "collocation" originated from the Latin word "colloquium," which means "conversational language." In linguistics, the concept of collocation was popularized by the British linguist John Rupert Firth in the mid-20th century. Firth emphasized the importance of studying how words tend to co-occur with each other in natural language use. Today, collocations are a key concept in corpus linguistics, language teaching, and translation studies, helping to understand language patterns and usage more effectively.

Word Frequency Rank

Positioned at #23,527, this word is part of extensive vocabulary. It's relatively rare in general usage but may be important in specific fields or formal writing.