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THE BASIC UNIT OF SENTENCE SYNTAX
Kamalova Ziyoda Mukhamedsobirovna
Senior Teacher, Faculty of Philology and Foreign Languages,
University of Management and Future Technologies
Email: kamalovaziyoda86@gmail.com, Phone: +998933860086
Abstract:
This scientific research analyzes the sentence, which is the fundamental unit of
syntax, and its predicative nature. The sentence serves as the primary means of expressing and
conveying human thought, holding a significant place in the language system due to its
communicative function. Predicativity, an inseparable grammatical feature of the sentence,
manifests through categories such as person, number, tense, mood, and affirmation-negation.
The article examines two approaches to predicativity: logical and grammatical perspectives.
Predicativity is considered to be formed solely through the subject-predicate relationship and is
viewed as the grammatical content of the entire sentence. Additionally, the article distinguishes
between the concepts of sentence models and utterances, analyzing the sentence as a general
grammatical unit and the utterance as a communicative unit realized in speech. While sentence
models are limited, the forms of utterances can appear in infinite variations in speech, as proven
by linguistic theories.
Keywords:
syntax, functional, communicative, objective, predicative person, paradigm,
predicate, modality, definiteness.
Introduction
The sentence, as the fundamental unit of syntax, plays a crucial role in expressing and
conveying human thought, serving as the primary means of communication in any language.
This article explores the concept of predicativity, a defining grammatical feature of sentences
that distinguishes them from other linguistic units like words and phrases. Predicativity,
expressed through categories such as person, number, tense, mood, and affirmation-negation, is
analyzed from both logical and grammatical perspectives, highlighting its role in shaping the
structure and meaning of sentences. Additionally, the article examines the distinction between
sentence models—abstract grammatical structures—and utterances, their realizations in specific
speech contexts, emphasizing the dynamic and infinite nature of language in communication.
Through this analysis, the article aims to deepen the understanding of sentences as the core
units of syntax and their significance in linguistic theory.
Methodology
The sentence is the primary unit of study in syntax. As the main means of forming, expressing,
and conveying human thought, the sentence serves a communicative function, reflecting the
rules of a specific language. Unlike words and phrases, which primarily serve naming functions,
the sentence stands out due to its predicative nature, a feature that distinguishes it as a
communicative unit. For example, "Tom came" and "Tom's coming" convey the same
information but differ in how they express objective content. The former contains predicativity,
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while the latter does not.
Result
Predicativity is considered the grammatical meaning of a sentence. It represents the inseparable
grammatical content of the sentence within the system of forms. Predicativity consists of person,
number, tense, aspect, mood, affirmation-negation, and the forms that express these meanings.
Thus, any syntactic unit possessing such grammatical meaning and its corresponding system of
forms is considered a sentence.
Discussions
Predicativity can be formed in the following ways:
1. Each predicative meaning is expressed through separate forms as components (e.g., negation,
person, tense, modality). For example, in "yoz+ma+sa+(y)+di+ng+iz," five predicative
meanings are expressed through five grammatical forms: -ma (negation), -sa (modality), -di
(tense), -ng (person), -iz (number).
2. A single form can synthetically express multiple meanings. For example, "yoz+ay"
(affirmation, definiteness, future tense, first person) or "I’m a student" (affirmation, definiteness,
present tense, first person, singular).
3. The infinitive form without "to" can be determined based on its paradigm. For example,
"yoz+ay" and "Let me write" share similar grammatical meanings.
4. A zero form, determined by the speech context, can also express predicativity. For example,
"Spring" becomes a sentence when it expresses existence, person, number, and tense through
the speech situation.
Conclusion
In summary, predicativity is the primary grammatical category of a sentence, consisting of
affirmation, negation, modality, tense, person, and number.
Modern syntactic theories recognize predicativity as the defining feature of a sentence, though
it is not an independent unit. Two perspectives exist regarding its nature and structure:
1. The first perspective views predicativity as the relationship between the subject and predicate,
influenced by logical approaches. This perspective considers predicativity as the basis of both
judgment and sentence structure.
2. The second perspective, introduced by V.V. Vinogradov, treats predicativity as a holistic
grammatical meaning of the sentence, not limited to subject-predicate relations. This view
emphasizes that predicativity is expressed through syntactic categories like modality, tense, and
person.
The term "sentence"
refers to a generalized grammatical unit, while "utterance"
(высказывание) refers to its realization in speech. Sentence models are limited and typified,
whereas utterances can appear in infinite variations. For example, English has only seven core
sentence models, yet the number of grammatically and semantically correct sentences derived
from them exceeds 3×10³², far more than the number of seconds in a century.
References:
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1. Moskalskaya O.M. Theoretical Syntax of the German Language. M., 1973.
2. Shvedova N.Yu. Grammar of the Modern Russian Language. M.: Nauka, 1970.
3. Vinogradov V.V. The Russian Language. M.: Nauka, 1970.
4. Blok M.Ya. Theoretical Foundations of Grammar. M.: VSh, 1983.
Online resources:
1.https://www.linguisticsociety.org/resource/syntax
2.https://www.cambridge.org/core/subjects/linguistics/syntax-and-morphology
3.https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=syntax+predicativity
4.https://oxfordre.com/linguistics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199384655.001.0001/ac
