Language structure is the way a language organizes its sounds or signs, word forms, and sentences to express meaning. In English, a change as small as adding -s to duck can change what a sentence tells us.
Four levels of language structure
- Phonology examines sound patterns. The first sounds distinguish duck from luck.
- Morphology examines word forms. The -s in ducks marks a plural noun.
- Syntax examines how words combine. In The ducks followed the boat, the order tells us which group was doing the following.
- Semantics examines meaning. Followed and passed describe different relationships between the ducks and the boat.
How the levels work together
Compare The duck follows the boat with The ducks follow the boat. The noun changes number, and the verb changes to agree with the subject. The words keep the same order while the sentence changes from one duck to several. This is how word form and sentence structure work together in grammar.
