SYNTAX SEMANTIC AND PRAGMATICS

What is syntax?
 Knowing a language includes the ability to construct phrases and sentence out of
morphemes and words. The part of the grammar that represents a speaker’s knowledge of
these structures and their formation is called.
 In other words, syntax is the study of sentence patterns of language.
 The aim of this study is to show you what syntactic structure is and what the rules that
determine syntactic structure are like.

"Syntax is the study of the principles and processes by which sentences are constructed in
particular languages. Syntactic investigation of a given language has as its goal the construction
of a grammar that can be viewed as a device of some sort for producing the sentences of the
language under analysis."(Noam Chomsky, 2002:11)

In syntax, there are several parts of the sentence structure, namely subject, verb, object,
complement and adverb.

syntax tree diagram

What is semantics?
Semantics means the meaning and interpretation of words, signs, and sentence structure.
Semantics largely determine our reading comprehension, how we understand others, and even
what decisions we make as a result of our interpretations. Semantics can also refer to the branch
of study within linguistics that deals with language and how we understand the meaning. This
has been a particularly interesting field for philosophers as they debate the essence of meaning,
how we build meaning, how we share meaning with others, and how meaning changes over time.
 One of the central issues with semantics is the distinction between literal meaning and
figurative meaning. With literal meaning, we take concepts at face value. For example, if we
said, “Fall began with the turning of the leaves”, we would mean that the season began to
change when the leaves turned colors. Figurative meaning utilizes similes and metaphors to
represent meaning and convey greater emotion. For example, “I'm as hungry as a bear” would
be a simile and a comparison to show a great need for sustenance.

What is pragmatics?
 The study of the practical aspects of human action and thought.
 The study of the use of linguistic signs, words and sentences, in actual situations.

Pragmatics outlines the study of meaning in the interactional context

It looks beyond the literal meaning of an utterance and considers how meaning is
constructed as well as focusing on implied meanings. It considers language as an instrument of
interaction, what people mean when they use language and how we communicate and understand
each other.

Jenny Thomas says that pragmatics considers:

 The negotiation of meaning between speaker and listener.
 The context of the utterance.
 The meaning potential of an utterance.

What would happen to language if Pragmatics did not exist?
Pragmatics acts as the basis for all language interactions and contact. It is a key feature to
the understanding of language and the responses that follow this. Therefore, without the fucntion
of Pragmatics, there would be very little understanding of intention and meaning.

We would like to demonstrate this by showing you how life would be WITHOUT Pragmatics:
“Can you pass the salt?”
Literal Meaning: Are you physically able to do this task?
Literal Response: ‘Yes’
(Pragmatic Meaning: Will you pass me the salt?
Pragmtic Response: pass the salt to the speaker.)

“What time do you call this?”

Literal Meaning: What time is it?
Literal Response: A time (e.g. ‘twenty to one.’)
(Pragmatic Meaning: a different question entirely, e.g. Why are you so late?
Pragmatic Response: Explain the reason for being so late.)
 Regularity

What is regularity?
 Some of that regularity derives from the fact that people are members of social groups
and follow general pattern of behavior expected within the group.
 Another source of regularity in language use derives from the fact that most people
within a linguistic community have similar basic experiences of the world and share a lot
of non-linguistic knowledge.

Example
 In Saudi Arabia questions about one’s health should not be answered with details, instead
a phrase “Praise to God” is pragmatically appropriate.
 I found an old bicycle lying on the ground. The chain was rusted and the tires were flat