34_IC method
.docx34. The IC method of analysis.
The term – L.Bloomfield 1933 (structuralists)
This principle is based on a binary principle – 2 types of representation. The sentence may be represented in the form of the derivational tree when we start with the largest immediate constituents – the group of the subject and the group of the predicate. If this ICs is not ultimate, we ….. on the sentence – Ics and they are parts of speech (on the basis of the binary principle)
This method aims at defining(pointing at) ultimate immediate constitutional parts of speech.
Every sentence having a dichotomous structure is divided into 2 parts of which is divided, if possible, into smaller parts. Level of the sentence > level of phrase>word level>morphemic level
A sentence – not a sequence of elements, but is made up of layers of constituents, each labeled in syntactic-morphological terms.
Thus the fundamental aim of IC analysis is to segment a set of lexical units into two maximally independent sequences or ICs thus revealing the hierarchical structure of this set.
Forms:
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A tree diagram
Sentence Poor John ran away
Adjective Noun Verb Particle
Subject Predicate
Subject Predicate
Adjective Noun Verb Particle
Poor John ran away Sentence
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Cuts (are made after each binary division, that is between least connected words, word-groups and even morphemes) (usually precedes other forms)
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The || old ||| man | saw || a |||| black ||||| dog ||| there.
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A ||| young |||| man || with ||| a ||| paper | followed ||| the girl || with ||| a |||| blue ||| || dress.
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It || was ||| ten |||| o’clock | as || she ||| turned out |||| of ||||| the |||||| gate
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A candelabrum
The ||| large |||| current ||||| buns || in ||| the |||| window | taste || very ||| nice.
Merits:
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More powerful than parsing as it is devoid of the arbitrariness and overconcentration on terminology.
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Provides a first insight into language structure, a preliminary tool for sorting and classifying.
Demerits:
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It doesn’t show syntactic relations between the components of the sentence it points out only part of speech. There may be different sentences having 1 and the same derivational tree but who are semantically different. (John is easy to please/ john is eager to please)
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Some important grammatical relationships (e.g. Passive/Active Voice connection) are obscured.