Sorais Francisco Valentim

Topic: Assignment I

Rovuma University

Nampula

April, 2025

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 Sorais Francisco Valentim

Topic: Assignment I

Assignment of English Sytanx1 Subject,

under instruction of the Lecturer: Hermeneg
Da Helena Nicolau from the Faculty of
Letters and Social Sciences, Distance course
of English.

Rovuma University
Nampula
April, 2025

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Index
Introduction--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4
Definition of Syntax ---------------------------------------------------------------------------5
The object of study of Syntax ----------------------------------------------------------------5
The place of Syntax in the scope of Linguistics--------------------------------------------6
The importance of Syntax to the language teacher-----------------------------------------7
Structure Ü Establishing constituents-------------------------------------------------------8
Conclusion--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10
Bibliography reference------------------------------------------------------------------------11

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Introduction
The present assessment work of English Sytanx1, is of the assessment character, this
work will describe about:Definition of the object of study, The place of Syntax in the
scope of Linguistics, The importance of Syntax to the language teacher, Structure Ü
Establishing constituents.

The objective of this research work is to promove patriotic wit of the know the skills for
learning the English language Sytanx1 in own society, give the concept of word and his
characteristics, describe about the English language Sytanx1 teaching process.

This essay have the great importance, because it is will show we as about the word,
where we will say that, The purpose of using Sytanx in a language classroom is to make
the class interactive and it can be stated that na interactive class can obviously improve
communicative competence of the learners and keep a lasting impact on their mind.

Moreover, Syntax helps students understand the meaning of sentences, both within and
between sentences. Improves communication skills understanding syntax helps students
express their thoughts more effectively.

For doing this assessment provided and used many sources how read the books, watch
videos and internet consult.

This assessment structured by: Introduction, development, conclusion and Bibliography

Reference.

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 1- Definition of Syntax

According to Koenraad and Nokes(2013), say that, Syntax is a branch of

linguistics that seeks to understand how languages’ grammar is generated and
how sentences are formed. For native speakers of a language, syntax will often
feel intuitive, but it can be hard to describe in words.
Syntax in English is the arrangement of words and phrases in a specific order. If
you change the position of even one word, it’s possible to change the meaning of
the entire sentence.
Syntax in linguistics refers to the arrangement of words and phrases. Syntax
covers topics like word order and grammar rules, such as subject-verb agreement
or the correct placement of direct and indirect objects.
Syntax is essential to understanding constituency, the term for multiple words
acting as a single unit. In long and complex sentences, constituency is necessary
to determine the hierarchy within the sentence, particularly with sentence
diagramming.
Syntax linguistics is usually described using branching tree-like diagrams that
show the relationships between different words in a sentence.

The object of study.

Koenraad and Nokes(2013), describe, The object of study of Syntax is the study
of how words are combined to form sentences and how sentences are linked
together. It’s a branch of linguistics that focuses on the structure and formation
of sentences.

What does syntax study?

Word order: How words are arranged in a sentence
Grammatical relations: How words relate to each other
Hierarchical sentence structure: How words are grouped into phrases and clauses
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 Agreement: How words agree with each other
Crosslinguistic variation: How word order and grammatical relations vary across
languages
Relationship between form and meaning: How word order and grammatical
relations relate to meaning
2. The place of Syntax in the scope of Linguistics

Second Yehuda. (2001), say that , Syntax of scope studies how meanings interact
when elements like quantifiers and negation are used in the same sentence.
For example, negation can change the truth value of a sentence from true to
false.
Linguistics, the scientific study of language, encompasses a broad scope,
examining language structure, meaning, usage, and its relationship to other
disciplines like psychology, sociology, and computer science.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of the scope of linguistics:

Core Areas of Linguistic Analysis:

Phonetics: The study of speech sounds, how they are produced, transmitted, and
perceived.
Phonology: The study of sound systems and patterns in languages.
Morphology: The study of word structure and how words are formed.
Syntax: The study of sentence structure and how words are organized into
phrases and sentences.
Semantics: The study of meaning, both in words and in larger linguistic units.
Pragmatics: The study of how language is used in context, including factors
like speaker intention and social context.

Branches and Specializations:

Sociolinguistics:
The study of the relationship between language and society, including language
variation, dialectology, and language attitudes.
Psycholinguistics:

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 The study of the psychological processes involved in language, including
language acquisition, processing, and comprehension.
Neurolinguistics:
The study of the neural basis of language, including how language is processed
in the brain.
Historical Linguistics:
The study of language change over time, including the evolution of languages
and their relationships.
Applied Linguistics:
The application of linguistic knowledge to real-world problems, such as
language teaching, translation, and forensic linguistics.
Computational Linguistics:
The study of language using computational methods, including natural language
processing and machine translation.
Forensic Linguistics:
The application of linguistic knowledge to legal contexts, such as analyzing
language in criminal investigations.
Linguistic Anthropology:
The study of language in its social and cultural context.
Stylistics:
The study of the stylistic features of language, such as tone, rhythm, and diction.

Interdisciplinary Nature of Linguistics:

Linguistics is na interdisciplinary field, drawing on and influencing other
disciplines, including:
Psychology: Understanding language acquisition, processing, and cognitive
aspects of language.
Sociology: Examining the social and cultural factors that influence language
use.
Anthropology: Studying language in its cultural context and its role in human
communication.
Computer Science: Developing computational models of language and
language processing.
Neuroscience: Investigating the neural basis of language.

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 Education: Developing effective language teaching methods.
Philosophy: Exploring the nature of language and meaning.

3. The importance of Syntax to the language teacher

For Andrew. (2013), describe that, Syntax Helps students understand meaning
Syntax helps students understand the meaning of sentences, both within and
between sentences.
Improves communication skills
Understanding syntax helps students express their thoughts more effectively.
Prepares students for learning other languages
Mastering syntax is important for learning additional languages.
Helps students develop reading comprehension
Studies show that students who learn to use more complex sentences have better
reading comprehension.
How can teachers teach syntax?
Begin with young children by talking about the function of words.
Teach the proper grammatical terms, such as noun and adverb.
Provide practice applying these terms in oral language activities.
Help students get comfortable with parts of speech, proper usage, and sentence
structures.
Help students learn to structure their utterances according to grammatical rules.

4. Structure Ü Establishing constituents

According to Toivonen, and Wechsler. (2016), say that, In syntax, constituents
are words or groups of words that work together to form a sentence. The
structure of a sentence is called its constituent structure.
How to establish constituents
Analyze the sentence: Break the sentence down into its constituents.
Use constituency tests: Manipulate the sentence to discover which groups of
words are constituents.
Use diagrams: Show how the sentence is analyzed into its constituent parts.
Examples of constituents

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 Subject
Usually a noun phrase, such as “my dog Aristotle” in the sentence “My dog
Aristotle bit the postal carrier on the ankle”
Predicate
Usually a verb phrase, such as “bit the postal carrier on the ankle” in the
sentence “My dog Aristotle bit the postal carrier on the ankle”
Constituency tests substitution, coordination, clefting, and sentence fragment
answers.

Constituent structure
Constituent structure is the grammatical structure of a sentence.
It’s how smaller constituents combine to form larger constituents.
It’s to which virtually all grammatical processes pay attention.
It determines sentence comprehension and meaning.

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 Conclusion

The present assessment of English Sytanx concluded that: Syntax is a branch of

linguistics that seeks to understand how languages’ grammar is generated and
how sentences are formed. For native speakers of a language, syntax will often
feel intuitive, but it can be hard to describe in words.
Also concluded that, The object of study of Syntax is the study of how words are
combined to form sentences and how sentences are linked together. It’s a branch
of linguistics that focuses on the structure and formation of sentences.
Finally concluded that, In syntax, constituents are words or groups of words that
work together to form a sentence. The structure of a sentence is called its
constituent structure.
Constituent structure is the grammatical structure of a sentence.
It’s how smaller constituents combine to form larger constituents.

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 Bibliography reference

Carnie, Andrew. 2013. Syntax. A Generative Introduction. 3rd edition. Wiley-

Blackwell.

Falk, Yehuda. 2001. Lexical Functional Grammar: Na Introduction to Parallel

Constraint-Based Syntax. CSLI.

Kuiper, Koenraad and Jacqui Nokes. 2013, Theories of Syntax: Concepts and
case studies. Palgrave Macmillan, London.

Bresnan, Joan, Ash Asudeh, Ida Toivonen, and Stephen Wechsler. 2016.
Lexical-Functional Syntax. 2nd edition. Wiley-Blackwell.

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