Every word is primed for use in discourse as a result of the cumulative effectives of an individual’s encounters with the word. Primings can nest, in that the resulting word sequences from initial primings are themselves the object of further priming.
- Every word is primed to occur with particular other words; these are its collocates.
- Every word is primed to occur with particular semantic sets; these are its semantic associations.
- Every word is primed to occur in association with particular pragmatic functions; these are its pragmatic associations.
- Every word is primed to occur in (or avoid) certain grammatical positions, and to occur in (or avoid) certain grammatical functions; these are its colligations.
- Co-hyponyms and synonyms differ with respect to their collocations, semantic associations and colligations.
- When a word is polysemous, the collocations, semantic associations and colligations of one sense of the word differ from those of its other senses.
- Every word is primed for use in one or more grammatical roles; these are its grammatical categories.
- Every word is primed to participate in, or avoid, particular types of cohesive relation in a discourse; these are its textual collocations.
- Every word is primed to occur in particular semantic relations in the discourse; these are its textual semantic associations.
- Every word is primed to occur in, or avoid, certain positions within the discourse; these are its textual colligations.