Paradigm and syntagm are two concepts in semiotics that direct how signs relate to one another. Both these concepts are used in the textual analysis to the effective communication using signs. The key difference between paradigm and syntagm is that paradigms are about substitution whereas syntagms are about the positioning. The two terms syntagmatic relationship and paradigmatic relationship also stem from syntagm and paradigm and refers to the relationship with other syntagms and paradigms, respectively.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Paradigm
3. What is Syntagm
4. Side by Side Comparison – Paradigm vs Syntagm
5. Summary
What is a Paradigm?
A paradigm is a set of linguistic items that create mutually exclusive choices in particular syntactic roles. A paradigmatic relationship includes signs that can replace each other. This replacement usually changes the meaning. In paradigmatic relationships, a lexical item can be typically substituted by another of the same category. For example, a noun is replaced by a noun and a verb by a verb. If we take another look at the example sentences, we used for syntagms,
Anne killed a mosquito.
Here, mosquito can be replaced by a variety of words that would imply similar meanings. Anne might have killed a spider, bug, ant or another insect. Each of these words belongs to a paradigm of animals or insects Anne might have killed.
What is a Syntagm?
Syntagm is a linguistic unit which consists of a set of linguist forms such as letters, phonemes or words that are in a sequential relationship to one another. A syntagm is also known as a chain of signifiers. The relationship within a syntagm is known as a syntagmatic relationship. Syntagmatic relationship involves a sequence of signs that create meaning as a whole. They are all about the positioning. Words which make up sentences, sentences which would make up paragraphs, paragraphs which make up chapters are some examples of syntagms and syntagmatic relationships. To be more clear, words in a sentence can be considered as syntagms, and they form a syntagmatic relationship that gives rise to meaning. Changing the sequence of syntagms in the sentence can result in a change of meaning. For example,
Anne killed a mosquito.
A mosquito killed Anne.
The above sentences use the same words (syntagms), but the difference in the order (syntagmatic relationship) give two very different meanings.
The following table might help you to understand the difference between paradigm and syntagm and their relationship more clearly. The syntagmatic relationship can be observed along the horizontal axis, and the paradigmatic relationship can be observed along the vertical axis.
Figure 1: Relationship between Paradigm and Syntagm
What is the difference between Paradigm and Syntagm?
Paradigm vs Syntagm |
|
| Paradigm is a set of linguistic items that form mutually exclusive choices in particular syntactic roles. | Syntagm is a linguistic unit consisting of a set of linguistic forms (phonemes, words, or phrases) that are in a sequential relationship to one another. |
| Meaning | |
| In paradigmatic relationships, signs get meaning from their association with other signs. | In syntagmatic relationships, signs get meaning from their sequential order. |
| Focus | |
| Paradigmatic relationships are about substitution. | Syntagmatic relationships are about positioning. |
Summary – Paradigm vs Syntagm
Paradigms and syntagms guide the relationship between signs. Both paradigmatic and syntagmatic relationship play a major role in determining the meaning of a linguistic unit. In paradigmatic relationships, the signs get their meaning with their association of other signs whereas in syntagmatic relationships, signs get their meaning from their sequence.
Reference:
1.”Paradigm and Syntagm.” Chasing Signs. N.p., 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.
2. “Syntagm and Paradigm.” Changingminds.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.
3. Chandler, Daniel. “Semiotics for Beginners.” Semiotics for Beginners: Paradigms and Syntagms. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.
Paradigmatic
and syntagmatic relations
are understood as basic
linguistic relationships describing
the complex structure of a language system.
This distinction is relevant to all levels of description. It was
introduced by the Swiss linguist Ferdinard de Saussure in 1916 as a
generalisation of the traditional concepts of a paradigm and a
syntagm.
Paradigm
(Gr. parádeigma
‘pattern,
model’) is a set of homogeneous forms opposed to each other
according to their semantic and formal features.
Syntagm
(Gr.
sýntagma
‘that which is put together in order’) is a structured syntactic
sequence of linguistic elements formed by segmentation which can
consist of sounds, words, phrases, clauses, or entire sentences.
Paradigmatic
relations
exist between units of the language system outside the strings where
they co-occur. They are based on the criteria of selection and
distribution of linguistic elements. Paradigmatic relations
determining the vocabulary system are based on the interdependence of
words within the vocabulary: synonymy, antonymy, hyponymy, meronymy.
F.
de Saussure called paradigmatic relationships associative
relationships, because they represent the relationship between
individual elements in specific environment.
It
was the Danish linguist Louis Hjelmslev who replaced the term
associative
relations
for paradigmatic
relations.
Syntagmatic
relations
are immediate linear links between the units in a segmental sequence.
Syntagmatic relations are horizontal since they are based on the
linear character of speech.
In psycholinguistics these terms are used in a different sense.
The
term paradigmatic
relations
denotes
the mental associations between words which form part of a set of
mutually exclusive items, e.g. black
responds
with white.
The
term
syntagmatic
relations
refers to mental associations between words which frequently occur
together, e.g. black
magic / tie / sheep.
30. Synonyms. The notion of a synonymic dominant. Types of synonyms. Sources of synonymy.
Synonyms
(Gr. syn
‘with’, ónyma
‘name’) are two or more words belonging to the same part of
speech and possessing a common denotative semantic component,
interchangeable at least in some contexts without any considerable
alteration in sense, but differing in morphemic composition, phonemic
shape, shades of meaning, connotations, style, valency and idiomatic
use, e.g.:
The
synonymic dominant
is the general term of its kind potentially containing the specific
features rendered by all the other members of the group. It is
characterised by:
high
frequency value;
broad
combinability;
broad
general meaning;
lack
of connotations;
stylistic
neutrality;
it
may substitute for other synonyms at least in some contexts;
it
is often used to define other synonyms in dictionary definitions
Classifications
of Synonyms
(Acad. V. V. Vinogradov’s approach)
Lexical
synonyms
are similar in meaning in the language system.
Contextual
synonyms
are similar in meaning only under some specific contextual
conditions, cf. the following sentences:
I’ll
go to the shop to
buy
some bread.
I’ll
go to the shop to
get
some bread.
I
can’t bear
him anymore.
I
can’t stand
him anymore.
Lexical
Synonyms
Absolute
synonyms
coincide in all their shades of meaning and in all their stylistic
characteristics, e.g. word-building
– word-formation;
Ideographic
synonyms
convey the same concept but differ in shades of meaning, i.e. in
their denotative component;
interesting
– (exciting), (makes you want to know more sth);
fascinating
– (exciting), (makes you want to know more sth), [extremely];
intriguing
– (exciting), (makes you want to know more sth), [there is sth you
find difficult to understand or explain];
absorbing
– (exciting), (makes you want to know more sth), [holds your
attention for a long time];
gripping
– (exciting), (makes you want to know more sth), [holds your
attention for a long time], [you want to know what is going to happen
next];
Stylistic
synonyms
differ in their stylistic characteristics, i.e. in their connotative
component, e.g. head
(neutral) – attic
(stylistic).
Ideographic-stylistic
synonyms
differ in shades of meaning and belong to different styles, e.g. to
see
‘to have or use the powers of sight and understanding’ – to
behold (elevated,
archaic) ‘to look at that which is seen’.
Sources
of Synonymy
development
of the native elements,
mostly denoting different shades of common meaning, e.g. fast
– speedy – swift;
handsome – pretty – lovely;
adaptation
of words from dialects and varieties of English,
e.g. dark
– murk (Northern
English); girl
– lass (Scottish
English); wireless
– radio (American
English);
foreign
borrowings,
e.g. to
ask
(native) –
to
question
(French) –
to
interrogate
(Latin); to
end
(native) – to
finish
(French) – to
complete
(Latin);
euphemisms,
e.g. drunk
– intoxicated – tired and emotional;
to
kill – to finish – to make away with sb – to remove;
etymological
doublets,
e.g. shade
– shadow;
canal
– channel;
productive
word-forming processes,
e.g. await
– wait;
memorandum
– memo;
resistance
– fight back.
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Paradigmatics
Paradigmatic relations are relations of opposition and functional identity of linguistic elements (“OR — OR”), i.e. the paradigm combines sets of linguistic units that are similar according to one, and opposed according to some other criterion(s). Paradigmatics determines to which level of grammatical categoric hierarchy this or that language unit belongs, by analogy with units similar to it. For example:
- Phonemes b, ɪ, g, s, t are the building blocks of morphemes big and -est.
- Morphemes big and -est can combine to form the lexeme biggest.
- The lexeme biggest is a part of the sentence That’s the biggest fish I’ve ever seen!
Syntagmatics
Syntagmatic relations can be defined as relations of compatibility of elements of the level in a sequence of speech events, i.e. combination of phonemes with phonemes, morphemes with morphemes, etc. Syntagmatics combines language units by their direct combination.
The logical formula of syntagmatic relations is the formula «AND — AND», i.e. both one element and another element together, side by side, one after another, forming a chain of the same-order elements of a certain length.
Examples of syntagmatic relationships:
- b=ɪ=g=ɪ=s=t, bɪg=ɪst (phonetico-phonological level)
- big=est, water=s, walk=ing (morphological level)
- teach=er, re=name (word-building sub-level)
- tall man, tall tree (lexical level)
- The tree is tall. (syntactical level)
Linguistic units are intimately interrelated by two types of relationship: syntagmatic and paradigmatic; the former are directly observable, they are present, while the latter must be intuited, they are absent. Both complement each other and cannot be conceived separately.
Definitions
- Syntagmatic relations: they are combinatorial relations in the presence of other linguistic elements, they occur between the successive elements of the statement, they are present. They are expansively related one after another according to the positional order of the elements of a sentence. They are relationships of meaning that each linguistic sign maintains with the remaining ones of different grammatical categories, either in the same phrase or in the sentence. Both syntagmatic and paradigmatic relationship are mandatory to understand
- Paradigmatic relations: they are the relations of meaning existing between the signs of the same syntactic category, they are the associative relations that exist between the units of the system, that is, between the simultaneous units (they form the paradigm), they are absent. .
Syntagmatic and paradigmatic structures
- Syntagmatic structure : set of words grouped around a nucleus with the same syntactic and sense function. It is any syntactic structure consisting of one or more words. The combination occurs in the presence of other linguistic elements.
Example:
Friend – SN My friend – SN My good friend – SN My good friend from my school – SN My good friend from my school the most playful – SN My good friend from my school the most playful as my dog
- Paradigmatic structure : it is the vertical relationship of the signs due to the absence of other linguistic elements. Continuously they are in paradigmatic relation all the disinheritments of a verbal radical, where one appears, it can appear, replacing it, any of the others of the verbal paradigm.
A paradigm is a series of elements that can occupy the same situation, taking into account that they can substitute each other and that the use of one of them excludes the use of all others in the paradigm. They are, therefore, in opposition, the value of each element appears in opposition to the others of the paradigm, it constitutes a closed set or finished in synchrony: when using the remarkable word, it is excluded outstanding, approved and suspense, since the four terms can occupy that position, form a paradigm at the semantic level. Example:
The words Mesa and Peso are paradigmatic.
In modern linguistics, the set of units that can appear and exchange in a given context is designated by this name.
| art. | Sub. | Adj. Calif. | P | Adj. | Sub. | Verb | Adj. | Sub. | Adv |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| He | boy | applied | from | me | school | win | some | diplomas | Yesterday |
| The | girl | good | from | you | House | rail | some | tablecloths | Always |
| The | students | responsible | from | its | home | will do | some | arrangements | tomorrow |
| The | ladies | smart | from | me | Institute | they will sing | nail | songs | Today |
| The | woman | nice | from | you | living place | purchase | various | toys | forever |
| The | girls | affectionate | from | its | school | will do | others | drawings | today |
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