Concept
Syntax
Overview
In linguistics, syntax ( SIN-taks) is the study of how words and morphemes combine to form well-formed larger units such as phrases and sentences. Central concerns in this area of linguistics include word order, grammatical relations, hierarchical sentence structure (constituency), agreement, cross-linguistic variation, and the relationship between form and meaning (semantics). Diverse approaches, such as generative grammar and functional grammar, offer unique perspectives on syntax, reflecting its complexity and centrality to understanding human language.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
Possible passages
Found by search and not yet checked by a person; they may only mention the idea in passing.
This seems, accordingly, to be the universal practice of all the ancient languages.
Adam Smith, The Essays of Adam Smith
States what Syntax is.
In all of these traits, then, primitive language is absolutely at one with gesture-language. The same is true of the syntax of the two kinds of language. This also is no more irregular and accidental in the Soudan language than it is in gesture-language.
Wilhelm Max Wundt, Elements of Folk Psychology Outline of a Psychological History of the Development of Mankind
Names Syntax twice.
Thus the progress of Language conforms to the general law, alike in the evolution of languages, in the evolution of families of words, and in the evolution of parts of speech.
Herbert Spencer, Essays on education and kindred subjects
Close in meaning to Syntax; the term itself is not named.
Philosophers who discussed Syntax
- Ferdinand de Saussure
- Sanskrit
- Jerry Fodor
- J. N. Findlay
- Language of thought hypothesis
- Kazimierz Ajdukiewicz
- Richard Milton Martin
- Hryhorii Skovoroda
- François Recanati
Related ideas
- Prague linguistic circle
- Conjunction (grammar)
- Outline of ancient India
- Grammar
- Grammatical tense
- Ancient Greek
- Predicate (grammar)
- Morpheme
- Object (grammar)
- Louis Hjelmslev
- Noam Chomsky
- Linguistics
- Antoine Arnauld
- Probability theory
- Recursion
- Connectionism
- Port-Royal Logic
- Semantics
- Lexico
- Adjective
- Generative grammar
- Logic
- Article (grammar)
- Oxford University Press
Opposing perspectives
Place in the tradition
Part of Analytic philosophy.