The difference between system and structure.

Theoretical grammar as a subject, its aim. Language as a functional system. Language and speech.

The subject of theoretical grammar is a systematic study of the grammatical structure of Modern English. The difference between practical and theoretical grammar is that grammar theory makes it possible to understand the laws according to which any language functions. Practical grammar gives the rules of using the laws of the language in speech.

- An early XX century Swiss scholar Ferdinand de Saussure commented on the correlation between those two phenomena: language is a system of means of communication; speech is the activity using language in the practical process. The structure of language is systematic, speech is linear; language is static, speech is dynamic, language is general, speech is concrete, language is social, speech is individual; language is reproductive, speech is productive; language is a means, speech is the purpose. We need the means of the language to make our speech understandable, but speech is necessary as the source of the language. Three aspects of the language – phonetics, vocabulary and grammar – are studied by three corresponding branches of linguistic science – phonology, lexicology and theoretical grammar.

.Theoretical grammar and its subject.

Man is not well defined as “Homo sapiens” (“man with wisdom”). For what do we mean by wisdom? It has not been proved so far that animals do not possess it. Those of you who have pets can easily prove the contrary. Most recently anthropologists have started defining human beings as “man the toolmaker”. However, apes can also make primitive tools. What sets man apart fr om the rest of animal kingdom is his ability to speak: he is “can easily object by saying that animals can also speakHomo loquens” – “man the speaking animal”. And again, you, naturally, in their own way. But their sounds are meaningless, and there is no link between sound and meaning (or if there is, it is of a very primitive kind) and the link for man is grammar. Only with the help of grammar we can combine words to form sentences and texts. Man is not merely Homo loquens, he is Homo Grammaticus.

The term “grammar” goes back to a Greek word that may be translated as the “art of writing”. But later this word acquired a much wider sense and came to embrace the whole study of language. Now it is often used as the synonym of linguistics. A question comes immediately to mind: what does this study involve?

Grammar may be practical and theoretical. The aim of practicalgrammaris the description of grammar rules that are necessary to understand and formulate sentences. The aim of theoreticalgrammar is to offer explanation for these rules. Generally speaking, theoretical grammar deals with the language as a functional system.

General characteristics of language as a functional system.

Any human language has two main functions: the communicative function and the expressive or representative function – human language is the living form of thought. These two functions are closely interrelated as the expressive function of language is realized in the process of speech communication.

The expressive function of language is performed by means of linguistic signs and that is why we say that language is a semioticsystem. It means that linguistic signs are of semiotic nature: they areinformativeand meaningful. There are other examples of semiotic systems but all of them are no doubt much simpler. For instance, traffic lights use a system of colours to instruct drivers and people to go or to stop. Some more examples: Code Morse, Brighton Alphabet, computer languages, etc. What is the difference between language as a semiotic system and other semiotic systems? Language is universal, natural, it is used by all members of society while any other sign systems are artificial and depend on the sphere of usage.

Language and speech.

The distinction between language and speech was made by Ferdinand de Saussure, the Swiss scholar usually credited with establishing principles of modern linguistics. Language is a collective body of knowledge, it is a set of basic elements, but these elements can form a great variety of combinations. In fact the number of these combinations is endless. Speech is closely connected with language, as it is the result of using the language, the result of a definite act of speaking. Speech is individual, personal while language is common for all individuals. To illustrate the difference between language and speech let us compare a definite game of chess and a set of ruleshow to play chess.

Language is opposed to speech and accordingly language units are opposed to speech units. The language unit phonemeis opposed to the speech unit – sound: phoneme /s/ can sound differently in speech - /s/ and /z/). The sentence is opposed to the utterance; the text is opposed to thediscourse.

Types of meaning. Language levels and linguistic units.

General characteristics of linguistic units. The main structural levels.Language is regarded as a system of elements (or: signs, units) such as sounds, words, etc. These elements have no value without each other, they depend on each other, they exist only in a system, and they are nothing without a system. Systemimplies the characterization of a complex object as made up of separate parts (e.g. the system of sounds). Language is a structural system. Structuremeans hierarchical layering of parts in `constituting the whole. In the structure of language there are four main structural levels: phonological, morphological, syntactical and supersyntatical. The levels are represented by the corresponding level units: The phonologicallevel is the lowest level. The phonological level unit is the`phoneme. It is a distinctive unit (bag – back).The morphological level has two level units:the `morpheme – the lowest meaningful unit (teach – teacher);the word -the main naming (`nominative) unit of language. The syntacticallevel has two level units as well:the word-group – the dependent syntactic unit;the sentence– the main communicative unit.The supersyntacticallevel has the text as its level unit. level has its own system. The level units are built up in the same way and that is why the units of a lower level serve the building material for the units of a higher level. This similarity and likeness of organization of linguistic units is called isomorphism. This is how language works – a small number of elements at one level can enter into thousands of different combinations to form units at the other level. Any linguistic unit is a double entity. It unites a concept and a sound image. The two elements are intimately united and each recalls the other. Accordingly, we distinguish the content sideand the expression side. The forms of linguistic units bear no natural resemblance to their meaning. The link between them is a matter of convention, and conventions differ radically across languages.

The difference between system and structure.

Notions of ‘system’ and ‘structure’. General characteristics of linguistic units.

Language is regarded as a system of elements (or: signs, units) such as sounds, words, etc. These elements have no value without each other, they depend on each other, they exist only in a system, and they are nothing without a system. Systemimplies the characterization of a complex object as made up of separate parts (e.g. the system of sounds). Language is a structural system. Structuremeans hierarchical layering of parts in `constituting the whole. In the structure of language there are four main structural levels: phonological, morphological, syntactical and supersyntatical. The levels are represented by the corresponding level units:

The phonologicallevel is the lowest level. The phonological level unit is the`phoneme. It is a distinctive unit (bag – back).

The morphological level has two level units:

1. the `morpheme – the lowest meaningful unit (teach – teacher);
2. the word -the main naming (`nominative) unit of language.

The syntacticallevel has two level units as well:

1. the word-group – the dependent syntactic unit;
2. the sentence– the main communicative unit.

The supersyntacticallevel has the text as its level unit.

All structural levels are subject matters of different levels of linguistic analysis. At different levels of analysis we focus attention on different features of language. Generally speaking, the larger the units we deal with, the closer we get to the actuality of people’s experience of language.

To sum it up, each level has its own system. Therefore, language is regarded as a system of systems. The level units are built up in the same way and that is why the units of a lower level serve the building material for the units of a higher level. This similarity and likeness of organization of linguistic units is called isomorphism. This is how language works – a small number of elements at one level can enter into thousands of different combinations to form units at the other level.

We have arrived at the conclusion that the notions of system and structure are not synonyms – any system has its own structure (compare: the system of Ukrainian education vs. the structure of Ukrainian education; army organization).

Any linguistic unit is a double entity. It unites a concept and a sound image. The two elements are intimately united and each recalls the other. Accordingly, we distinguish the content sideand the expression side. The forms of linguistic units bear no natural resemblance to their meaning. The link between them is a matter of convention, and conventions differ radically across languages. Thus, the English word ‘dog’ happens to denote a particular four-footed domesticated creature, the same creature that is denoted in Ukrainian by the completely different form. Neither form looks like a dog, or sounds like one.

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