9. Scerba's classification of words.

VI. The classification based on lexical meaning, morphological form and syntactic function (L.Scerba).

The term "parts of speech" was introduced in the grammatical teaching of ancient Greece when language and speech were not differentiated and there was no concept of sentence yet.

The semantic criterion: the generalized meaning of the words belonging to a given part of speech, i.e. the categorial meaning of the part of speech.

The formal criterion: the specific inflexional and derivational features of the words belonging to a given part of speech.

The functional criterion: the syntactic role of words in the sentence typical of a given part of speech.

10. Notional and functional parts of speech.

Parts of speech may be divided into notional (fully lexical, self-dependent functions in the sentence): Noun, Adjective, Numeral, Pronoun, Verb, Adverb; and functional (incomplete nominative meaning, non-self-dependent functions in the sentence): Article, Preposition, Conjunction, Particle, Modal Word, Interjection.

Why is it so difficult to classify parts of speech? Each part of speech has some typical characteristics - the highly organized nucleus, but there may be some peripheral features different from the typical ones. Sledd and Gleason pointed to rather complex relations between the words of one part of speech. Admony of Leningrad puts forward the theory of grammatical field (1974). Every part of speech has the nucleus and the periphery.

The theory of semantic fields has been worked out by Trier, Vicegerber and some other linguists; and the theory of lexico-grammatical field - by the Soviet grammarians Guliga, Shendels, Bondarko, Guhman.

The boundaries between different parts of speech are not clear out:

n otional - I have a ticket to the theatre, have

a uxiliary - I have quitted my studies.

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The most typical features of the part of speech are introduced by the categorial meaning, form, function, combinability with other parts of speech:

Noun - the catagorial meaning of substance or thingness (lawyer, milk)\

• the changeable forms of number and case;

• specific derivational suffixes;

• the substantive functions in the sentence: the subject, an object, a substantival predicative;

• prepositional connections;

• modified by an adjective;

• determined by an article;

• combinability with a verb.

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Lecture 5

Theme: Syntax. Types of sentences in English.

Plan:

1. Sentence: General.

2. Actual division of the sentence.

3. Communicative types of sentences.

4. Simple sentence: constituent structure.

5. Simple sentence: paradigmatic structure.

6. Composite sentence as a polypredicative construction.

7. Complex sentence.

8. Compound sentence.

9. Semi-complex and semi-compound sentences.

10. Sentence in the text.

Recommended Literature:

1. M.Y.Blokh. A Course in the Theoretical English Grammar. - M., 1983, pp.229-364.

2. B.Ilyish. The Structure of Modern English. - L., 1971.

3. N.M.Rayevska. Modern English Grammar. - K., 1976.

4. И.П.Иванова, В.В.Бурлакова, Г.Г.Почепцов. Теоретическая граматика.

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