What is Syntax

Have you ever wondered how we arrange words into sentences that make sense? Why “The cat sat on the mat” sounds correct, but “Sat mat the cat on” doesn’t? The answer lies in a fascinating field of linguistics called syntax.

In this blog, we’ll explore what syntax is and take a closer look at four key approaches to understanding grammar: Traditional Grammar, Structural Grammar, Transformational Grammar, and Functional Grammar.

WHAT IS SYNTAX? 

Syntax is the branch of linguistics that studies how words combine to form phrases, clauses, and sentences. It focuses on sentence structure—not the meaning of words, but how they are arranged to create meaning. It’s like the rules of a game: syntax tells us what kinds of word combinations are allowed in a language.

For example:

✅ “She is reading a book.”

❌ “Is she book a reading.”

Both sentences use the same words, but only the first follows proper English syntax.

📚 1. Traditional Grammar

Traditional Grammar is the oldest and most familiar approach to understanding language, especially in schools. It focuses on the rules of "correct" usage, based largely on Classical Latin and Greek, and is deeply rooted in prescriptive teaching—that is, telling people how they should speak or write. 

🔤 Parts of Speech

Traditional grammar begins by classifying words into parts of speech, which are categories based on a word’s function in a sentence.

Here are the 8 basic parts of speech, with examples:

1. Noun

→ A word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.

Example: teacher, Jakarta, cat, freedom

2. Pronoun

→ A word that replaces a noun to avoid repetition.

Example: he, she, it, they, we

3. Verb

→ A word that shows action or state of being.

Example: run, is, write, think

4. Adjective

→ A word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun.

Example: beautiful, tall, happy, five

5. Adverb

→ A word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. It tells how, when, where, or to what extent.

Example: quickly, very, always, here

6. Preposition

→ A word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and another word in the sentence.

Example: on, in, at, under, beside

7. Conjunction

→ A word that connects words, phrases, or clauses.

Example: and, but, or, because, although

8. Interjection

→ A word or phrase that expresses emotion or exclamation.

Example: wow!, oh!, ouch!, hey!

🧱 2. Structural Grammar

Structural grammar is a linguistic approach that focuses on the internal structure of sentences, analyzing how words and groups of words (phrases, clauses) are arranged and related to one another in a hierarchical system. It examines patterns of word arrangement without emphasizing meaning or prescriptive rules.

This grammar was developed in the early 20th century, particularly influenced by the work of Leonard Bloomfield, and it marked a shift from traditional grammar by focusing more on form and structure rather than historical or philosophical considerations.

Example of Structural Grammar Analysis:

1. The boy kicked the ball                                                      2. The youth of Indonesia

         NP                   VP                                                                                    NP

↙              ↘       ↙           ↘                                                                            ↙    ↘

Det             N    V             NP                                                                       H        M

↓                  ↓     ↓           ↙     ↘                                                                   ↓       ↙  ↘

The         Boy Kicked   Det     N                                                              Youth Det   PP

                                           ↓       ↓                                                                       ↓    ↙   ↘

                                          The   Ball                                                                The P       N

                                                                                                                                  ↓        ↓

                                                                                                                                Of   Indonesia

🔄 3. Transformational Grammar

Transformational grammar (also called transformational-generative grammar) is a theory of grammar developed by Noam Chomsky in the 1950s. It is a powerful linguistic model that explains not only how sentences are structured, but also how different sentence forms are related to each other through transformations. 

🧩 Key Concepts in Transformational Grammar

1. Deep Structure

• Represents the basic core of meaning in a sentence.
• It is abstract and unspoken, formed by phrase structure rules.

2. Surface Structure

• The actual sentence we hear or read.
• Formed by applying transformational rules to the deep structure.

3. Transformations

• Rules that convert deep structures into surface structures.
• Examples: passive transformation, question formation, negation, movement.

Examples of Transformational Grammar:

✅ Example 1: Declarative → Interrogative

Deep Structure (Statement):

• She is reading the book.

Transformed Surface Structure (Yes–No Question):

• Is she reading the book?

✅ Example 2: Active → Passive

Deep Structure (Active):

• The chef cooked the meal.

Surface Structure (Passive):

• The meal was cooked by the chef.

✅ Example 3: Negative Transformation

Positive (Deep):

• He can swim.

Negative (Surface):

• He cannot swim.

✅ Example 4: Wh-Question Formation

Statement:

• She will buy a car.

Wh-Question:

• What will she buy?

⚙️ 4. Functional Grammar

Functional grammar is an approach to grammar that explains how language is structured according to its social function, meaning how it is used in real-life communication to achieve certain goals such as giving information, asking, persuading, or expressing emotion.

Instead of asking "What is the grammatical rule?" like traditional or structural grammar, functional grammar asks "Why is this structure used in this situation?"

Key concepts in Functional Grammar:

1. Language is not just a set of rules. It is a tool for communication, shaped by the context and purpose of the speaker/writer.
2. Unlike structural grammar that focuses on the sentence, functional grammar focuses on the clause — because it’s where meaning is created. Each clause serves: Who does what to whom, when, where, how, and why.
3. Each word or phrase in a clause plays a functional role, such as:  

• Actor: the one who performs the action
• Process: the verb or action
• Goal: the one affected by the action.
• Circumstance: time, place, manner, etc.

✅ Example of Functional Grammar Analysis

Sentence: "The teacher gave the students homework yesterday."