Formulaic units create shared bases for common ground in coordinating joint communicative actions
The use of formulaic language requires shared experience and conceptual fluency. Tannen and Öztek (1981) argued that “cultures that have set formulas afford their members the tranquility of knowing that what they say will be interpreted by the addressee in the same way that it is intended, and that, after all, is the ultimate purpose of communication.” Nonnative speakers do not share a common ground or similar experience either. This is especially true for lingua franca communication where participants belong to different speech communities and use a common language that does not reflect any of these speech communities.