Michael Hoey. Lexical Priming: A New Theory of Words and Language. London: Routledge. 2005. xiii + 202 pages. ISBN 0-415-32863-2.

Lexical Priming: A new theory of words and language is more than just about words, it is about language and how it is structured. It places words, rather than syntax at the centre of language, and as such it should be of interest to lexicographers. The approach is radical. We have had the separation of lexis and grammar, we have had the lexical grammar of Halliday with words as the most delicate level of grammar, and we have seen the work on lexis of Sinclair, but this theory goes much further in its championship of words as the organising factor of our language. It is radical, but based on a theory that has grown over many years and which has been thoroughly tested on language corpora. It reflects the state of the art in Michael Hoey's reflections on the nature of lexis and language.