conventional linguistic unit

"Conventionality implies that something is shared--and further, that it is recognized as being shared--by a substantial number of individuals. ... only as a unit spreads through the speech community does it become a serious candidate for inclusion in the grammar of a language. (p.62)

"...semantic units are characterized relative to cognitive domains ... any concept or knowledge system can function as a domain for this purpose. ... the conception of a social relationship, of the speech situation, of the existence of various dialects, and so on." (p.63)

"linguistic semantics is held to be encyclopedic (4.2). The meaning of an expression typically involves specifications in many cognitive domains. (p.63)

"...language is often self-referential. An expression's sociolinguistic status--i.e., its role in various domains pertaining to language use--can be regarded as a peripheral aspect of its semantic value." (p.63)

"...units are acquired through a process of decontextualization (10.4.1). If a property (the relative social status of the speaker and hearer is constant to the context whenever an expression is used, the property ... may remain a semantic specification of the resultant unit." (p.63)

2.1.3 4 4.2 10.4.1