Lexical Priming is a new theory of language developed by Michael Hoey, drawing data and evidence from language corpora. It argues that as we acquire vocabulary it becomes loaded with the contexts (linguistic, generic and social) in which we repeatedly encounter it, such that we subconsciously expect and replicate these contexts when we read, write, hear and speak.
The different types of information with which a lexical item is loaded are its primings. These are tied to contexts and it can never be assumed that the priming that operates in one textual domain (e.g. medicine, the news) will operate in another textual domain (e.g. law, casual conversation). They are best studied, therefore, through specialist corpora. The roles played by ‘context of encounter’ and genre in establishing and activating primings are crucial (Hoey, 2005).