The hazy line between lexis and grammar | Richmond Share

The hazy line between lexis and grammar | Richmond Share

It was called “Current Events” and it focused on conversation, listening and vocabulary. There was no coursebook (for obvious reasons), so the more laissez-faire nature of the course meant that I was free to build up the syllabus as we went along, dealing with emergent language and extracting useful lexis from newspapers, magazines and video clips. I am using lexis here in the broadest possible sense, to encompass words, collocations, fixed/semi-fixed expressions and formulaic language. 

...

So I’d like to suggest that it makes sense to try to move:
From lexis (in the broadest possible sense of the word) to grammar rather than the other way around.
From concrete to abstract.
From synthesis to analysis.

Or, to borrow Michael Lewis’ terminology:
First, grammaticized lexis, then lexicalized grammar.