Word-groups lecture 12 Word-groups vs phraseological units

The adjectives clever and intelligent are seen to possess different syntactic valency as clever can be used in word-groups having the pattern:

• The adjectives clever and intelligent are seen to possess different syntactic valency as clever can be used in word-groups having the pattern:
• Adjective-Preposition at+Noun: clever at mathematics, whereas intelligent can never be found in exactly the same word-group pattern.
• The syntactic valency of correlated words in different languages is not identical, cf.: in English to influence a person, a decision, a choice (verb +noun) - in Russian влиять на человека, на решение, на выбор (verb+ preposition+noun).

The individual meanings of a polysemantic word may be described through its syntactic valency:

• The individual meanings of a polysemantic word may be described through its syntactic valency:
• Keen + N: keen sight, hearing, etc.
• Keen + on + N: keen on sports, tennis, etc.
• Keen + V(inf): keen to know, to find out, etc.
• Thus word-groups may be regarded as minimal syntactic (or syntagmatic) structures that operate as distinguishing clues for different meanings of a polysemantic word.

INTERDEPENDENCE OF STRUCTURE AND MEANING IN WORD-GROUPS

• Syntactic structure and pattern of word-groups is the description of the order and arrangement of member-words in word-groups as parts of speech.
• The syntactic structure of the word-group an old woman, a blue dress, clever man, red flower is an adjective and a noun, i.e. A+N;
• The syntactic structure of the word-groups wash a car, read books, take books, build houses – as a verb and a noun, i.e. V+N.
• The syntactic structure of the word-groups a touch of the sun, a matter of importance - as a preposition and a noun, i.e. N+prp+N.