sentence
Quick Summary
A sentence is a fundamental unit of language that expresses a complete thought. It typically begins with a capital letter and ends with punctuation like a period, question mark, or exclamation point. Sentences can be classified by their structure: simple (one clause), compound (two or more coordinate clauses), or complex (one or more main clauses and one or more subordinate clauses).12
In English grammar, words are categorized into parts of speech based on their function within a sentence, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. These parts of speech work together to form coherent sentences that convey meaning.3
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Indian philosophyHermeneutics and semantics…further Prabhakara thesis that the sentence forms the unit of meaningful discourse, that a word is never used by itself to express a single unrelated idea, and that a sentence signifies a relational complex that is not a mere juxtaposition of word meanings. Prabhakara’s theory of language learning follows these…
Read More…further Prabhakara thesis that the sentence forms the unit of meaningful discourse, that a word is never used by itself to express a single unrelated idea, and that a sentence signifies a relational complex that is not a mere juxtaposition of word meanings. Prabhakara’s theory of language learning follows these…
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history of logicPrecursors of ancient logic…to distinguish different kinds of sentences: questions, answers, prayers, and injunctions. Prodicus appears to have maintained that no two words can mean exactly the same thing. Accordingly, he devoted much attention to carefully distinguishing and defining the meanings of apparent synonyms, including many ethical terms.
Read More…to distinguish different kinds of sentences: questions, answers, prayers, and injunctions. Prodicus appears to have maintained that no two words can mean exactly the same thing. Accordingly, he devoted much attention to carefully distinguishing and defining the meanings of apparent synonyms, including many ethical terms.
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philosophy of languageFrege’s revolution…that the meaning of a sentence—the “thought” it expresses—is a function of its structure, or syntax. The thought, in turn, is determined not by the psychological state of the speaker or hearer—thoughts are not “mental” entities—but by the logical inferences the sentence permits. Sentence meaning, furthermore, is prior to word…
Read More…that the meaning of a sentence—the “thought” it expresses—is a function of its structure, or syntax. The thought, in turn, is determined not by the psychological state of the speaker or hearer—thoughts are not “mental” entities—but by the logical inferences the sentence permits. Sentence meaning, furthermore, is prior to word…
Read More- philosophy of languageWittgenstein’s Tractatus
In the Tractatus, sentences are treated as “pictures” of states of affairs. As in Frege’s system, the basic elements consist of referring expressions, or “logically proper” names, which pick out the simplest parts of states of affairs. The simplest propositions, called “elementary” or “atomic,” are complexes whose structure…
Read MoreIn the Tractatus, sentences are treated as “pictures” of states of affairs. As in Frege’s system, the basic elements consist of referring expressions, or “logically proper” names, which pick out the simplest parts of states of affairs. The simplest propositions, called “elementary” or “atomic,” are complexes whose structure…
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linguisticsSyntax…set of constructions throughout the sentences of the language.
Read More…set of constructions throughout the sentences of the language.
Read More- linguisticsLanguage acquisition by children
…longer to process than kernel sentences and, even more interestingly, that the processing time increased proportionately with the number of optional transformations involved. Later work cast doubt on these findings, and most psycholinguists are now more cautious about using grammars produced by linguists as models of language processing. Nevertheless, generative…
Read More…longer to process than kernel sentences and, even more interestingly, that the processing time increased proportionately with the number of optional transformations involved. Later work cast doubt on these findings, and most psycholinguists are now more cautious about using grammars produced by linguists as models of language processing. Nevertheless, generative…
Read More - generative grammar
…is all (and only) the sentences of a language—i.e., of the language that it generates. There are many different kinds of generative grammar, including transformational grammar as developed by Noam Chomsky from the mid-1950s. Linguists have disagreed as to which, if any, of these different kinds of generative grammar serves…
Read More…is all (and only) the sentences of a language—i.e., of the language that it generates. There are many different kinds of generative grammar, including transformational grammar as developed by Noam Chomsky from the mid-1950s. Linguists have disagreed as to which, if any, of these different kinds of generative grammar serves…
Read More - transformational grammar
…the various elements of a sentence and among the possible sentences of a language and uses processes or rules (some of which are called transformations) to express these relationships. For example, transformational grammar relates the active sentence “John read the book” with its corresponding passive, “The book was read by…
Read More…the various elements of a sentence and among the possible sentences of a language and uses processes or rules (some of which are called transformations) to express these relationships. For example, transformational grammar relates the active sentence “John read the book” with its corresponding passive, “The book was read by…
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semanticsVerificationist semantics…positivists, the meaning of a sentence is given by an account of the experiences on the basis of which the sentence could be verified. Sentences that are unverifiable through any possible experience (including many ethical, religious, and metaphysical sentences) are literally meaningless.
Read More…positivists, the meaning of a sentence is given by an account of the experiences on the basis of which the sentence could be verified. Sentences that are unverifiable through any possible experience (including many ethical, religious, and metaphysical sentences) are literally meaningless.
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- Korean languageGrammar
Korean sentences are very similar to those of Japanese, though the words sound quite different. Modifiers always precede what they modify. The unmarked order is subject + indirect object + direct object + predicate. Only the predicate is essential, and other information may be omitted. Actions…
Read MoreKorean sentences are very similar to those of Japanese, though the words sound quite different. Modifiers always precede what they modify. The unmarked order is subject + indirect object + direct object + predicate. Only the predicate is essential, and other information may be omitted. Actions…
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Uralic languagesWord order…indicate a basic Early Uralic sentence structure of (subject) + (object) + main verb + (auxiliary verb)—the parenthesized elements are optional, and the last element is the finite (inflected) verb, which is suffixed to agree with the subject in person and number. This pattern has been best preserved in the…
Read More…indicate a basic Early Uralic sentence structure of (subject) + (object) + main verb + (auxiliary verb)—the parenthesized elements are optional, and the last element is the finite (inflected) verb, which is suffixed to agree with the subject in person and number. This pattern has been best preserved in the…
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