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Extracted from publication
L’errore linguistico in fraseologia e paremiologia

Da polirematiche distorte a neologismi. Proposte per un repertorio di deformazioni lessicali
DOI:  10.53136/979122182757625
Pages: 411-426
Publication date: July 2026
Publisher: Aracne
SSD:  L-FIL-LET/14 L-LIN/01 L-LIN/06 L-LIN/07

The set of idiomatic expressions and phraseological units in any language represents a valuable lexical reservoir, allowing speakers to draw on popular and vivid solutions for more expressive communication. However this tendency is so frequent and pronounced that speakers often employ polyrematic expressions even outside their most appropriate context. In some cases, due to the speed at which speakers talk or to phonetic similarity with other terms, the lexical material is unintentionally altered without ironic intent, resulting in genuine malapropisms. While some of these lexical inventions remain isolated and may provoke a genuine smile, other combinations are more fortunate and begin to spread, even in more formal contexts, eventually losing any connotation of their erroneous nature. This paper examines some widespread combinations to suggest their actual or imminent lexicalization and lays the groundwork to compile a lexicographic inventory of such former malapropisms. The aim is to establish a database for recording neologisms that may ultimately enter the standard language, once the stigma on them has been completely lost.
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