Chapter 7 summarizes the findings and offers a bigger picture with regard to (1) the idiom principle in L2 acquisition and use, (2) the model of a unit of meaning and (3) the processes behind the phraseological tendency of language. It argues that the idiom principle is available to L2 users to a larger degree than is often thought. It then proposes an ‘atomic’ model of a unit of meaning, shows how the processes of fixing and approximation fit into the larger processes of delexicalization and meaning-shift, further develops the idea of a continuum of delexicalization suggested in Chapter 2 as well as explains the connection between these ideas and the concepts of relexicalization and re-metaphorization. The chapter ends with a discussion of limitations and promising directions of future research.

The chapter argues that language production alternates between prefabricated and ad hoc generated language, and linguistic creativity is a discourse rather than a sentence level phenomenon.It is claimed that deliberate creativity is a process that is used by ELF speakers to create and/or co-construct from scratch formulas which either resemble those of L2 (English) or L1 (speaker’s L1); or are just the result of temporary communicative extension of the system (TCE).

Chapter 2 provides an in-depth discussion of Sinclair’s conceptualization of lexis and meaning and its major concepts. It starts from the model of a unit of meaning and explains how it is capable of incorporating both syntagmatic and paradigmatic axes of meaning by including optional variable components of collocation, colligation and semantic preference. The chapter continues by offering a theoretical solution of removing the borderline between single- and multi-word units. Further it points out the difference between Firth’s and Sinclair’s conceptions of collocation and defines the relationships between the idiom principle, co-selection, syntagmatic association, core meaning, delexicalization and meaning-shift. A large part of the chapter is devoted to examining the controversy around the concept of semantic prosody. The chapter concludes by discussing Sinclair’s theory of meaning and his idea of the ultimate dictionary. The conceptualization presented in the chapter forms the theoretical backbone of the book.