10. Сriteria of Markedness

Markedness as a linguistic phenomenon goes out of oppositional method of analysis. Due to this method, appeared in Prague linguistic school, two elements are opposed, one element has additional sign with some concrete categorical meaning. It’s a strong member of opposition. Graphically it’s denoted by +, weak member as -. Markedness depends on the context. One and the same structure may be marked in one but unmarked in other context. Markedness is that is characteristic of not only language phenomenon but extralinguistic reality. M. is not a stable phenomenon; it’s very dynamic and changes with the course of time even with the same people.

There are 3 criteria of markedness: frequency distribution, cognitive complexity and structural complexity. It means that what is marked requires greater intellectual effort to identify. Alongside it is typically structurally more complicated.

They are mutually dependent and application of one of the criteria automatically actuates the other two. This integral application of 3 criteria characterizes iconicity. Criteria of markedness are universal and refer in the same way but to different entities. These criteria are universal but are analyzed differently in reference to different language categories. They are more recognizable in simple structures and more complicated in the connected discourse.

e.g. active and passive voice and its correlation. Structurally passive is more complicated, it requires greater intellectual efforts to be recognized. It is not frequently used, so passive is marked in everyday oral communication. But if it is official/scientific discourse passive may be more frequently used than active.

Markedness is a metaiconic phenomenon, all 3 criteria of markedness are activated simultaneously, independently and automatically. This is universal phenomenon and works the same way in all the languages.

11. Survey: field, boundary, elevation

There are different theories and different explanations of them, there is an urgent need to find common ways of explanation to all those theories. In the course of search scholars found 3 notions that we can apply to all theories and theories may be analyzed from more abstractive to more specified approach. More abstractive refer approach refers to the analysis of 3 notions: the domain of the theory, boundary, and center (elevation).

The survey of the theory is a simultaneous scope of all the details about the theory at a given period of time, which includes boundaries, domain and elevation of the theory. We should not confuse survey with the history of the theory as it analyzes the whole period of the existence of the theory.

Boundaries are important because not all investigators agree on the same boundaries of the same discipline. Sometimes there is a paradox that different theories may resemble the similar boundaries but elevation and domain may not coincide, if they do they may explain different notions. The problem of boundaries is not so easy even in the relation to such familiar notions as text linguistics and pragmatics. Both study language but they also study some other applied to language notions. Text ling studies communicative principles and interaction. Pragmatics – language and its utterances as acts which can be direct and indirect instructions. As we see from this different theories establish different boundaries and it depends what non-linguistic discipline is used alongside with linguistic, because we must consider not only the ling field but psychological, social, and so on. The boundaries due to application of linguistics to the other non-ling theories are not strict but puzzled.

Domain/area – the sphere the theory occupies. Domain of the theory differs from language to language, because one and the same notion may be effectively expressed with the help of relational grammar. But we cannot apply this grammar to the Ukrainian lang, because the word order is not so functionally important. There are notions in theory which not have the same explanation using thr same theories. In some languages we understand the notion with the help of the word order ignoring the flexion. Ling theories differ not only in regarding to what is analyzed but also how the language elements are analyzed.

Elevation is the most functionally important notions of the theory. What is more important always stands in center, is easily identified. As soon as the notion is not do important, is not frequently used, is shift to periphery of the theory and is not so easy to identified this element because it has not distinctive features.

E/g Present Indefinite – may denote future or planned action – periphery of the theory.

As we see the generalization of different notions shows that any theory may be explained with the most universal methodology including boundary, domain and elevation.