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Questions and Answers
What is syntax the study of in linguistics?
What is syntax the study of in linguistics?
- The pronunciation of words
- The cultural impact of language
- How words and morphemes combine to form larger units such as phrases and sentences (correct)
- The history of language development
What is the etymology of the word 'syntax'?
What is the etymology of the word 'syntax'?
- Comes from Latin roots meaning 'word order'
- Comes from French origins meaning 'sentence structure'
- Comes from Germanic roots indicating 'linguistic rules'
- Comes from Ancient Greek roots: σύνταξις 'coordination', which consists of σύν syn, 'together', and τάξις táxis, 'ordering' (correct)
What is one basic description of a language's syntax?
What is one basic description of a language's syntax?
- The use of passive voice
- The complexity of sentence structure
- The number of words in a sentence
- The sequence in which the subject (S), verb (V), and object (O) usually appear in sentences (correct)
What percentage of languages usually place the subject first in a sentence?
What percentage of languages usually place the subject first in a sentence?
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What are some of the possible sequences of subject, verb, and object in a sentence?
What are some of the possible sequences of subject, verb, and object in a sentence?
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Study Notes
Syntax in Linguistics
- Syntax is the study of how words are combined to form phrases, clauses, and sentences in a language.
Etymology of 'Syntax'
- The word 'syntax' comes from the Greek words 'syn' meaning 'together' and 'taxis' meaning 'arrangement'.
Language Syntax
- A basic description of a language's syntax is the rules governing the combination of words to convey meaning.
Sentence Structure
- In approximately 75% of languages, the subject typically comes first in a sentence.
- Possible sequences of subject, verb, and object in a sentence include:
- SVO (Subject-Verb-Object): e.g., "The dog chases the ball."
- SOV (Subject-Object-Verb): e.g., "The dog the ball chases."
- VSO (Verb-Subject-Object): e.g., "Chases the dog the ball."
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