Structure of word-groups

1. All word-groups are analyzed by means of the criterion of distribution (syntactic use) into two classes: endocentric and exocentric. It the word-group has the same linguistic-distribution as one of its members, it is described as endocentric i.e. having one central member functionally equivalent to the whole word-group, e.g. flower- red flower (I see a flower — I see a red flower). "Flower" is the head word. If the distribution of the word-group is different from that of either of its members, it is regarded as exocentric, i.e. as having no such central member, for instance side by side, to grow smaller.

II. Word-groups may be classified according to the criterion of the part of speech meaning of their head-words into nominal (red flower), adjectival (kind to people), verbal groups (to speak well).

3. Word-groups may be subdivided according to the type of syntactic relations between the components into subordinative and coordinative. Red flower is a subordinative word-group because red is subordinated to flower. Women and children is coordinative as there is no subordination here.

4. Meaning of word-groups

The lexical meaning of the word-group may be defined as the combined lexical meaning of the component words. We should point out, however, that the term combined lexical meaning does not imply that the meaning of the word-group is a mere additive result of all the lexical meanings of the component members. The lexical meaning of the word-group predominates over the lexical meanings of its constituents.

Word-groups possess not only lexical meaning, but also the meaning conveyed mainly by the pattern of arrangement of their constituents. For example, the meanings of the word-groups dog house and house dog are different though the lexical meanings of the components are identical. Thus we have to distinguish between the structural meaning of a word–group and the lexical meanings of its constituents. It follows that the meaning of the word-group is derived from the combined lexical meanings of its constituents and is inseparable from the meaning of the pattern of their arrangement.

The description of the order and arrangement of member- words in word - groups as parts of speech is termed syntactic structure of formula of the word-group. We may, for instance, describe, the word-group as made up of an Adjective and a Noun (a clever man, a red flower), a Verb — a Noun (to take books), a Noun, a Preposition, a Noun (a matter of importance). The syntactic structure (formula) of the nominal groups (clever man) may be represented as A + N, that of the verbal groups (take books) as V + N, etc.

The structure of word-groups may be also described in relation to the head-word. E.g. the structure of the same verbal group (to take books) is-represented as to take + N. In this case it is usual to speak of the patterns of word-groups. The term pattern implies that we are speaking of the structure of the word-group in which a given word is used as its head.

The difference in the syntactic structure of word-groups is indicative of a difference in the meanings of the head-word of word-groups.

Compare: to get a book (v + n) and to get to know (v + v (inf.). Structurally simple patterns are as a rule polysemantic, whereas structurally .complex patterns are monosemantic. Compare the two patterns: take + N (tae tea, coffee, to take books) in which "take" has different meanings and take + to + N (take to sports, take to somebody) in which take has one meaning.