Formulaic language in spoken English: an analysis of the use of idioms in the TV series Pretty Little Liars

This thesis focuses on formulaic language, i.e. fixed formed expressions uttered in particular settings, in particular on idioms in the first season of TV series Pretty Little Liars. Almost all conversation is formulaic and it can be defined as fundamental for the production of a fluent language. Formulaic language creates different categories including idioms that are meaningful and fixed or semi-fixed phrases recognised more quickly than non-idiomatic phrases. Classifying idioms is an important issue in their study; indeed, some linguists, e.g. Makkai (1972), McCarthy and O’Dell (2002), Fernando (1996) and Kövecses (1996), propose different classification. The core of the thesis will focus on the analysis of different types of idioms in the first season of the TV series Pretty Little Liars with a deep explanation of the meaning of some idiomatic expressions by presenting numerous examples taken from the TV series.