Grammatical Functions
Functions exist on all levels of grammar, and even in phonology, where the function of the phoneme is to distinguish between lexical material.
- Semantic function: (Agent, Patient, Recipient, etc.), describing the role of participants in states of affairs or actions expressed.
- Syntactic functions: (e.g. subject and Object), defining different perspectives in the presentation of a linguistic expression
- Pragmatic functions: (Theme and Rheme, Topic and Focus) Predicate), defining the informational status of constituents, determined by the pragmatic context of the verbal interaction.
Read more about this topic: Functional Theories Of Grammar
Famous quotes containing the words grammatical and/or functions:
“Speech and prose are not the same thing. They have different wave-lengths, for speech moves at the speed of light, where prose moves at the speed of the alphabet, and must be consecutive and grammatical and word-perfect. Prose cannot gesticulate. Speech can sometimes do nothing more.”
—James Kenneth Stephens (18821950)
“One of the most highly valued functions of used parents these days is to be the villains of their childrens lives, the people the child blames for any shortcomings or disappointments. But if your identity comes from your parents failings, then you remain forever a member of the child generation, stuck and unable to move on to an adulthood in which you identify yourself in terms of what you do, not what has been done to you.”
—Frank Pittman (20th century)