The Structure of Language

Hierarchical: The system is layered, and each layer is:

Distinct or autonomous: Fundamentally different in kind from the other layers. For example, (a) syntax and semantics are fundamentally different and they function autonomously (more in a minute), (b) phonetics and phonology are different.

• What is syntax?
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0BuKYiwhVQ

• What is morphology?
• -Rules for creating running from run, personable from person, unbelievable from believe, etc.
• How do we know these are rules at all? Suppose speakers just memorize these word forms separately?
• I’m getting tight in my chestal area.
• Untach everything except the looker and that snapper.
• I’ve redorkulated.

• How do we know that syntax and semantics are different (i.e., distinct or autonomous)?
• Colorless green ideas sleep furiously. [Chomsky]
• -What’s right and what’s wrong?
• Take a left at the yellow big sign that say ‘Shell gasoline’.
• -What’s right and what’s wrong?
• Semantics: fine. It’s perfectly clear what this sentence means.
• Syntax is no so good: (1) yellow big → big yellow, (2) sign that say → sign that says.

• So, each layer is distinct or autonomous, meaning that semantics is not the same as syntax, syntax is not the same as morphology, morphology is not the same as …
• Each layer (or module) is also:
• Organized into increasingly abstract forms of information:
• Allophones are organized into phonemes, phonemes into morphemes, morphemes into words, words into phrases into sentences.

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