Defining – 203
to the elaboration of each of these issues. In this way a simple one-line
definition grows into a major section of an essay or a whole essay
itself.
The paragraphs below illustrate the beginnings of how this
might be done. The first takes up the form of the definition and systematically builds upon the two major parts – the class membership
statement and the ascription of defining characteristics. The second
and third paragraphs introduce a discussion of the kinds of criteria
that have been used. The suggestion by one linguist that a boundary
be drawn around ‘word’ to distinguish it from a ‘lexeme’ is questioned, the more comprehensive definition being preferred.
The popular definition of a word as ‘a sequence of letters separated from
another by a space’ is deficient in many fundamental respects. In
assuming that a word is an orthographical object, this definition neglects
the primacy of sound in language: we speak of ‘words’ even in languages
which have not been written down; and illiterate people who have never
seen a page of print have no trouble identifying the words in their
language.
But this does not mean that a word can be defined as ‘a
sequence of sounds separated from another by a pause’. In the first
place, the sequence must be a structured one, since all languages have
phonological rules according to which sounds can be combined with one
another. Secondly, the idea that there are ‘pauses’ between words in
spoken language greatly oversimplifies and misrepresents the phonetic
facts. Finally, although a word is basically a phonological entity, it
cannot be defined on criteria of sound alone. To define a word
adequately it is necessary also to see it in three more ways: as a
structured combination of morphological units; as an element in the
syntactic structure of sentences (words form grammatical classes such as
noun, verb and adjective); and as an element of language which carries
meaning. Such a comprehensive approach results in this common
definition: ‘A word may be defined as the union of a particular meaning
with a particular structured complex of sounds capable of a particular
grammatical employment.’
to the elaboration of each of these issues. In this way a simple one-line
definition grows into a major section of an essay or a whole essay
itself.
The paragraphs below illustrate the beginnings of how this
might be done. The first takes up the form of the definition and systematically builds upon the two major parts – the class membership
statement and the ascription of defining characteristics. The second
and third paragraphs introduce a discussion of the kinds of criteria
that have been used. The suggestion by one linguist that a boundary
be drawn around ‘word’ to distinguish it from a ‘lexeme’ is questioned, the more comprehensive definition being preferred.
The popular definition of a word as ‘a sequence of letters separated from
another by a space’ is deficient in many fundamental respects. In
assuming that a word is an orthographical object, this definition neglects
the primacy of sound in language: we speak of ‘words’ even in languages
which have not been written down; and illiterate people who have never
seen a page of print have no trouble identifying the words in their
language.
But this does not mean that a word can be defined as ‘a
sequence of sounds separated from another by a pause’. In the first
place, the sequence must be a structured one, since all languages have
phonological rules according to which sounds can be combined with one
another. Secondly, the idea that there are ‘pauses’ between words in
spoken language greatly oversimplifies and misrepresents the phonetic
facts. Finally, although a word is basically a phonological entity, it
cannot be defined on criteria of sound alone. To define a word
adequately it is necessary also to see it in three more ways: as a
structured combination of morphological units; as an element in the
syntactic structure of sentences (words form grammatical classes such as
noun, verb and adjective); and as an element of language which carries
meaning. Such a comprehensive approach results in this common
definition: ‘A word may be defined as the union of a particular meaning
with a particular structured complex of sounds capable of a particular
grammatical employment.’