Lexeme (i.e. lexical item)
Revision as of 09:22, 25 March 2009 by Haspelmath (talk | contribs) (New page: The term '''lexeme''' is sometimes used in the same sense as lexical item, i.e. an expression that is not transparently derivable from more elementary expressions. ===Examples=== In a...)
The term lexeme is sometimes used in the same sense as lexical item, i.e. an expression that is not transparently derivable from more elementary expressions.
Examples
In addition to words (in particular lexemes in the sense of sets of word-forms), idioms such as kick the bucket are also lexemes in this sense.
Polysemy
Origin
The term was first used by Louis Hjelmslev and Benjamin L. Whorf in the 1930s. Apparently both coined the term independently.
