Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Grammatical Function Definition and Examples

Grammatical Function Definition and Examples Grammatical function is the  syntactic role played by a word or phrase in the context of a particular clause or sentence. Sometimes called simply function. In English, grammatical function is primarily determined by a words position in a sentence, not by inflection (or word endings). Examples and Observations The five elements of clause structure, namely subject, verb, object, complement, and adverbial, are grammatical functions. In addition, we distinguish predicator as the function carried by the main verb in a clause, and predicate as the function assigned to the portion of a clause excluding the subject.​Within phrases, certain types of units can function as modifiers, more specifically as premodifiers or postmodifiers.There is no one-to-one correspondence between functions and their possible formal realizations. Thus the functions of subject and direct object are often realized by a noun phrase, but can also be realized by a clause. (Bas Aarts, Sylvia Chalker, and Edmund Weiner, The Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 2014.) Linguistic Context and Grammatical Function The production and interpretation of an utterance act is anchored to the constitutive parts of language: syntax, morphology, phonology, semantics, and pragmatics. While syntax is composed of structural units, for instance, constituents in traditional grammar, phrases in functional grammar and generative grammar, groups in systemic functional grammar or constructions in construction grammar, it is the linear ordering of the individual parts within a hierarchically structured sequence which constitutes their grammatical function. The adverb really, for instance, realizes the grammatical function of a sentence adverbial with wide scope if positioned initially or finally, as is the case in the utterance really, Sarah is sweet. If the adverb really is positioned medially, it is assigned the grammatical function of the adverbial of subjunct with narrow scope, as in Sarah is really sweet. Or, the proper noun Mary can realize the grammatical function of object in Sally kissed Mary, and it ca n realize the grammatical function of subject in Mary kissed Sally. Thus, it is not the grammatical construction as such which is assigned a grammatical function. Rather, it is the positioning of a grammatical construction within a hierarchically structured sequence which assigns it a grammatical function. (Anita Fetzer, Contexts in Interaction: Relating Pragmatic Wastebaskets. What Is a Context?: Linguistic Approaches and Challenges, ed. by Rita Finkbeiner, Jà ¶rg Meibauer, and Petra B. Schumacher. John Benjamins, 2012.) The Grammatical Functions of Subjects The most complex grammatical function is that of subject. Consider the example in (1).(1) The tigers hunt prey at night.Tigers precedes the verb. It agrees with the verb in number, as becomes clear when it is made singular: The tiger hunts its prey at night. In the active construction, it is never marked by any preposition. The corresponding full passive clause ... is Prey is hunted by the tigers at night; in the passive clause, the subject of (1), the tigers, turns up inside the prepositional phrase by the tigers.The above criteria- agreement in number with the verb, never being preceded by a preposition, occurring in the by phrase in the passive- are grammatical, and the noun they pick out in a given clause is the grammatical subject of that clause. (Jim Miller, An Introduction to English Syntax. Edinburgh University Press, 2002.) The Grammatical Functions of Direct Objects and Indirect Objects In traditional grammatical descriptions, the grammatical function borne by her in the English example in (41) has sometimes been called the indirect object, and the book has been called the direct object:(41) He gave her a book.The phrase the book is also traditionally assumed to be the direct object in examples like (42):(42) He gave a book to her.The classification of the book as a direct object in both (41) and (42) may have a semantic rather than a syntactic basis: there may be a tendency to assume that the book must bear the same grammatical function in each instance because its semantic role does not change. ... [T]he LFG [lexical-functional grammar] view differs: in example (41), the phrase her bears the OBJ [object] function, while in example (42), the phrase a book is the OBJ.Within the transformational tradition, evidence for the LFG classification for English came from certain formulations of the rule of passivization, which applies uniformly to transform an object into a subject. (Mary Dalrymple, Lexical Functional Grammar. Emerald Group, 2001.)

Saturday, November 23, 2019

The Evolution of Odysseus Essay Example

The Evolution of Odysseus Essay Example The Evolution of Odysseus Paper The Evolution of Odysseus Paper Odysseus first encounter with the nymph, Circe, tests his unfaithfulness as a husband. Odysseus, still early in his Journey, knows as he enters her cave that he will have to sleep with the crafty witch in order to defeat her. When he enters Circles bedroom he shows no guilt for what he is doing, but actually an eagerness to be with the nymph. -and when shed finished, then, at last, I mounted Circles gorgeous bed (10:85-86). Odysseus willingness to sleep with the nymph shows an immaturity of a young and eager man who enjoys his power and uses It for his own physical pleasure. As Odysseus continues on his Journey home, he next encounters the split of his mother. When he realizes she is dead, Odysseus Is filled with guilt and realizes how long he has been gone from the people of his homeland. My mother, dead and gone knows] whom I had left alive when I sailed for scared Trot'(11 :94-96). This realization is a turning point where Odysseus begins to think of others and not solely himself or his own personal gain. Next, Odysseus has to physically overcome two treacherous monsters, both of which are women, in order to get to in the island of Thracian. Through these endeavors Odysseus must prove himself as a leader to his fearful men as they try to combat both Scylla and Charladies. For a brief moment Odysseus regresses to his former selfish ways and Ignores the advice of Circe. But now I cleared my mind of Circles orders-cramping my style, urging my not to arm at 2:45-46). This short return to Odysseus former self proves fatal to the lives of his crew members, whom he watches die before his eyes. Of all the pitiful things Ive had to witness]this wretched my heart the 2:280-282). This event proves to be important for Odysseus because he realizes that his own selfish pride causes him to make the wrong decision and sacrifices the lives of his men. As his long Journey continues, Odysseus meets the Goddess Calypso, who forces him to stay on her island. Although he does continually sleep with the Goddess, Odysseus intentions are quite different than they were with Circe. He is forced to be with Calypso because she is taking care of him, but Odysseus has no desire to stay on the island. In the nights, true, hed sleep with her In the arching cave-he had no hat he owes his life to Calypso, but he never forgets his wife, Penelope, or his homeland. He turns down the opportunity to become a God and live forever with the beautiful Goddess and continually longs to be home with his wife. Look at my wise Penelope. Seen Tall Tar snort AT you, you, your Duty, stature . Seen Is mortal rater al and you, you never age or died Nevertheless I long-I pine, all my days-to travel home and see the dawn of my return(5:239-243). This longing for home and his wife is a major landmark in Odysseus life. He knowledgeably refuses Calypso offer, knowing that his true place and duty is at home. After leaving Calypsos island, Odysseus travels to the land of the Physicians where he meets the princess Unmusical. In this encounter, the king of Physician offers Odysseus his daughter as a bride. Ahoy could wed my daughter and be my son-in- law and stay right here with us. Id give you a house and great Although Odysseus has this opportunity to marry the young and beautiful Unmusical, he does not even hesitate in his decision to leave immediately and head for home. This shows how Odysseus has grown throughout his Journey and is no longer tempted by superficial things. When Odysseus finally reaches his homeland, he comes in contact with one of the most important women in his life, the Goddess Athena, who has been his guide throughout his long Journey. She respects Odysseus for his intelligence and his wits. Here among mortal men youre far the best at tactics, spinning yarns, and I am famous among the gods for wisdom, cunning wiles, During his adventures, Athena tests Odysseus abilities as a warrior and as a husband, giving IM help as well as obstacles to prepare for his homecoming at Troy. Through these trials Athena makes it her goal to help Odysseus mature and grow to realize that his true place is at home with his faithful wife. His final and most important encounter is with his wife Penelope, who has served as a beacon of hope for Odysseus. Throughout his Journey, the thought of her is enough to send Odysseus home even when better offers from Goddesses, nymphs, and beautiful princesses try to hold him back. True enough, Calypso the lustrous dodoes tried to hold me back, deep in her arching caverns, craving me for a husband. So did Circe, holding me Just as warmly in her halls, the bewitching queen of EAI keen to have me too. But they never won the heart inside me, never. So nothing is as sweet as a mans own country, his own parents, even though hes settled down in some luxurious house, off in a foreign land and far from those who bore him(9:33-41). By the end of his Journey, Odysseus recognizes the importance of love through Penelope long and continuous devotion, and realizes that his feelings awards the other women in the past were only physical attractions. Odysseus overcomes the confrontations with many women throughout his adventures and returns home to Ithaca a changed man. These physical and mental victories against beasts as well as goddesses force Odysseus to grow and mature from the time he leaves for Troy to the time he reaches his home at Ithaca. His odyssey as much an inward Journey as it is a physical one. The challenges he faces, often represented by women, serve as steps in this long process towards greater maturity and self- understanding.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Revolt on the Nile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Revolt on the Nile - Essay Example Therefore it is prudent to say that the Nile shocks had been responsible for most of the social instabilities that existed at the time (Chaney). Throughout history, it is evident that partly the bad economic times have normally given way for liberalization and room for democratic changes that had been witnessed before. Despite this fact, not all changes along the democratic lines followed this line of thought. This is because of the rise of institutions which lead to support autocratic regimes like the religion through the religious leaders. Such institutions worked closely within the social frameworks and in agreement with the autocratic governments to suppress the people (Chaney). This therefore placed the religious institutions in determining the balance within the society in the manner they operate. This does not though have empirical data though its acts have been on record and can be proven. There is therefore a negative relationship between the Nile floods and the actions by the religious groups. This is because during the Nile floods the religious groups became stronger and since they worked closely with the oppressive governments of the day, they lead to the suffering of the people. This was strengthened further as the high judge had no probability of quitting office during such a time when the Nile outburst their banks. At the time when the Nile experienced the shocks, more religious institutions were formed and became stronger. As a result the political power of the religious leaders increased. This power made the high judge wield excessive power and exert such influence on the social hierarchy given that the political power itself was a product of the influence they possessed (Chaney). The Nile floods caused an environment of social unrest where the leaders such as the high judge could swim through heightened political power.