This chapter examines the theory of norms and exploitations in the context of other theories of language. It considers the role of the lexicon in linguistic theory in twentieth-century Europe since Wilhelm von Humboldt and Ferdinand de Saussure, and also discusses generative linguistics, cognitive linguistics, frame semantics, and construction grammar. Moreover, the chapter looks at the Firthian tradition that paved the way for the newly emerging science of corpus-driven empirical linguistics and lexicology, as well as electronic lexicography.