Clichés Between Convention and Event

Abstract This chapter introduces the authors’ distinct perspective on clichés. It challenges the conventional assumption that clichés rely exclusively on repetition, proposing that clichés frequently evoke familiarity even in entirely novel contexts, at a specific timing, or Kairos. The authors develop the concept of “cliché events”—specific moments when utterances acquire particular significance as clichés due to timing and contextual conditions. They argue that clichés often operate by inducing a sense of déjà vu rather than actual repetitive historical usage, constructing a pseudo-history—an imagined historical recurrence. Clichés thus dynamically oscillate between predictable conventions and unique, context-specific events. The chapter demonstrates how clichés are actively negotiated phenomena, whose meanings and impacts shift according to their precise usage context and intentionality. This notion also allows for examining the unintuitive possibility of “new clichés” that emerge without prior usage. This exploration highlights the inherently contingent nature of clichés and their essential role in social and cultural discourse. Ultimately, the chapter proposes viewing clichés as dynamic and fluid rhetorical events rather than static linguistic or cultural artifacts.