As discussed previously, ‘linear’ sentences have a progressive dynamic within the sentence; each sentence part – each with its own function within the sentence – simply adds to the information in the previous part. What function a sentence part has… Continue reading
And, so, as it’s been a while, let’s recap on what has been being done here and consider ‘where now’. Dissecting, questioning, dividing I’ve been dissecting thought and grammar into 2 basic intersecting dimensions of the analytic and the synthetic.… Continue reading
Here, so far, there has been a lot of review of conventional theories, followed by questioning and deconstructing, and thinking about fundamentals and criteria. This is good and valid, I feel. However, it is only the foundation work for creating… Continue reading
I have said, previously here, that subject (often the doer of an action) and object (often the focus of an action) look to be viable and effective terms and to pass all the criteria, listed here so far, for safe… Continue reading
It seems to me that the term ‘adverbial’ needs to be removed from the synthetic-grammar lexicon, because it is not transparent and it is often unclear as to what is an adverbial and what is not. In the current conventional… Continue reading
Here, for ease of reference, is the set of criteria we are using in assessing the conventional wisdom, on the synthetic grammar of English, for its values and demerits. A successful classificatory system needs to have: absolute clarity as to… Continue reading
Ideally, in any classification system, there needs to be: absolute clarity as to what falls within the domain of a particular class or category and what does not; no overlap between classes, so that nothing can readily fall within two… Continue reading
The final major category in conventional explanations of the synthetic grammar of English is that of the adverbial. I confess that I am not at all sure that I understand the notion, or the notions, of the adverbial, as it… Continue reading
So far, we have looked at the conventional wisdom with subjects, objects and so-called complements. Let’s now look at the conventional approach with verbs within a synthetic grammar of English. Just so that we are on the same ‘page’, in… Continue reading
The synthetic grammar of a sentence is its internal functional structure, conventionally expressed in terms of the classes of subject, verb, object, complement and adverbial. My own feeling is that three-fifths of the conventional explanation of functional structure is a… Continue reading