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Syntactic hierarchy


Syntactics, or syntax, is concerned with the way sentences are constructed from smaller parts, such as words and phrases. Two steps can be distinguished in the study of syntactics. The first step is to identify different types of units in the stream of speech and writing. In natural languages, such units include sentences, phrases, and words. The second step is to analyze how these units build up larger patterns, and in particular to find general rules that govern the construction of sentences.[1]

This can be broken down into constituents, which are a group of words that are organized as a unit, and the organization of those constituents. They are organized in a hierarchical structure, by embedding inside one another to form larger constituents.

In Chomsky’s view, humans are born with innate knowledge of certain principles that guide them in developing the grammar of their language. In other words, Chomsky’s theory is that language learning is facilitated by a predisposition that our brains have for certain structures of language. This implies in turn that all languages have a common structural basis: the set of rules known as "universal grammar". The theory of universal grammar entails that humans are born with an innate knowledge (or structural rules) of certain principles that guide them in developing the grammar of their language. 

For example:

Regarded as the "Founder of Structural Linguistics", which reflects the concept of structuralism, de Saussure stated the ways in which human culture requires an overarching structure to relate to in order to communicate. He defines language to be different than human speech, which is fundamental and essential to language. While speech is a combination of several disciplines (i.e. physical, psychological, etc.) and is part of an individual and their society, language is a system of classification of its own entity. 

De Saussure argues that in written language, words are chained together in sequence on the chain of speaking, and therefore gain relations based on the linear nature of language.  Language, however, is not simply a classification for universal concepts, as translating from one language to another proves to be a difficult task. Each Languages organizes their own world differently, and do not name existing categories, rather articulate their own. This idea explains that though languages can differ within levels of Syntactic Hierarchy, all languages encompass the same set of levels.

Separate sentences can combine together to create one sentence. For example, the sentence “The boy chased the ball” and “He didn’t catch it” can be combined together. You can do this in many ways including stringing one sentence after the other or joining the sentences with conjunctions.


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