The Dragons of Grammar

Tamatori pursued

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I suspect that grammar is often thought of as one of “the dismal arts” (which really isn’t a contradiction in terms), that is, as in the same category as, say, plumbing. And there is no denying that grammar lies somewhere deep in the guts of language–just listen to the names of its components:

1) Morphology; (links to RT’s page on subject)

2) Syntax;

3) Phonology;

4) Phonetics;

 

5) Semantics; and

 

6) Pragmatics.

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No wonder there’s a glamor issue here. But a recent remark by Wordgathering has inspired me to attempt to make the enterprise a little sexier, a likelier candidate for a tweet or two.

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Let’s start by defining the cables and joists of this craft:

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• Morphology: deals with the units of meaning in language: words, parts of speech, intonation/stress, and how they work to build up meaning.
• Syntax: deals with the way sentences are put together in a language. If a language is highly inflected, its syntax (or word-order) is fairly unimportant to meaning; if a language is not inflected (English, for example), word-order becomes vital to meaning.
• Phonology: deals with the music of a language, that is, the ways it uses syllables, rythym, gestures, and (oh mi gosh!) rhyme to articulate and enhance meaning. One might think of it as the scientific study of poetry.
• Phonetics: deals with the actual, physical production of language–how the mouth, sinuses, and throat act during speech. It is concerned with such things as acoustic properties, auditory perception, and neurophysiological issues.
• Semantics: deals with meaning as it is conveyed through words, phrases, signs, and symbols. It attempts to answer the question, how does language encode and convey meaning?
• Pragmatics: deals with the way context contributes to meaning. It focuses on such things as talk in everyday situations, implication, and ambiguity.

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Wow, I don’t know about you, but this foray into grammar, which I will hazard is the formal study of the way language works, has been a wee bit overwhelming (as in encountering a dragon and living to tell the tale) for me. Thankfully, the lunch bell is ringing….but we will doubtless hear more about this important topic later….     RT

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Image: art, Kuniyoshi; source, WikiCommons.

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