The constituent parts of language.



The phoneme, the morpheme, the word, and the sentence are regarded as the basic units of language and speech. They are units of different levels of language structure.. The phoneme is a unit of the lowest level, the sentence – of the highest.

The phoneme is the smallest distinctive unit. The phoneme [b], for instance, is the only distinctive feature marking the difference between words ‘tale’ [teil] and ‘table’ [teibl].

The morpheme is the smallest meaningful unit. The word un-fail-ing-ly, for instance, contains four meaningful parts, that is, four morphemes.

The word is the smallest naming unit. Though the words terror, terrible, terrific, terrify contain more than one morpheme each, they are the smallest units naming a certain feeling, certain properties, and a certain action.

The sentence is the smallest communication unit. It rains is a sentence because it contains a communication.

 

 

7. General characteristics of the grammatical structure of language.

       The grammatical structure of language is a system of means used to turn linguistic units into communicative ones, in other words – the units of language into the units of speech. Such means are inflexions, affixation, word order, function words and phonological means.

Generally speaking, Indo-European languages are classified into two structural types – synthetic and analytic. Synthetic languages are defined as ones of ‘internal’ grammar of the word – most of grammatical meanings and grammatical relations of words are expressed with the help of inflexions (Ukrainian - зроблю, Russian, Latin, etc). Analytical languages are those of ‘external’ grammar because most grammatical meanings and grammatical forms are expressed with the help of words (will do). However, we cannot speak of languages as purely synthetic or analytic – the English language (Modern English) possesses analytical forms as prevailing, while in the Russian language synthetic devices are dominant. In the process of time English has become more analytical as compared to Old English. Analytical changes in Modern English (especially American) are still under way.

 

 

Notions of ‘system’ and ‘structure’. General characteristics of linguistic units.

 

Language is regarded as a system of elements (or: signs, units) such as sounds, words, etc. These elements have no value without each other, they depend on each other, they exist only in a system, and they are nothing without a system. System implies the characterization of a complex object as made up of separate parts (e.g. the system of sounds). Language is a structural system. Structure means hierarchical layering of parts in `constituting the whole. In the structure of language there are four main structural levels: phonological, morphological, syntactical and supersyntatical. The levels are represented by the corresponding level units:

The phonological level is the lowest level. The phonological level unit is the`phoneme. It is a distinctive unit (bag – back).

The morphological level has two level units:

c) the `morpheme – the lowest meaningful unit (teach – teacher);

d) the word - the main naming (`nominative) unit of language.

The syntactical level has two level units as well:

c) the word-group – the dependent syntactic unit;

d) the sentence – the main communicative unit.

The supersyntactical level has the text as its level unit.

All structural levels are subject matters of different levels of linguistic analysis. At different levels of analysis we focus attention on different features of language. Generally speaking, the larger the units we deal with, the closer we get to the actuality of people’s experience of language.

To sum it up, each level has its own system. Therefore, language is regarded as a system of systems. The level units are built up in the same way and that is why the units of a lower level serve the building material for the units of a higher level. This is how language works – a small number of elements at one level can enter into thousands of different combinations to form units at the other level.

           

 

 

 3. The definition and parts of Grammar.

The term “grammar” goes back to a Greek word that may be translated as the “art of writing”. But later this word acquired a much wider sense and came to embrace the whole study of language. Now it is often used as the synonym of linguistics. A question comes immediately to mind: what does this study involve?

Grammar may be practical and theoretical. The aim of practical grammar is the description of grammar rules that are necessary to understand and formulate sentences. The aim of theoretical grammar is to offer explanation for these rules. Generally speaking, theoretical grammar deals with the language as a functional system.

Morphology and syntax are parts of Grammar. Morphology is the part of Grammar which treats of the forms of words. Syntax is the part of Gammar which treats of phrases and sentences.

 

List of books:

1. B.Ilyish. The Structure of Modern English.

2. M.Blokh. A Course in Theoretical Grammar.

3. E.Morokhovskaya. Fundamentals of Theoretical Grammar.          

4. И.П.Иванова, В.В.Бурлакова, Г.Г.Почепцов. Теоретическая грамматика современного англ. яз..

5. Methods Guides.

 

 


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