Systemic Nature of Language

Modern linguistics lays a special stress on the systemic characters of language and its constituent parts. It points out that language is a system of signs which are closely interconnected and interdepended.

There are two fundamental types of relation existing between lingual units: syntagmatic and paradigmatic.

Syntagmatic relations are immediate linear relation betweer units in a segmental sequence. E.g. They are fighting for their independence. The words they , are, frighting, for, their, independence are syntagmatically connected to each other. The morphemes within the words are also connected syntagmatically: fight-ing, in-depend-ence. The same occurs with the phonemes within the words: f-ai-t-i-ng.

Paradigmatic relations exist between elements of the system outside the strings, where they co-occur, e.g. table-tables. This paradigm expresses the category of number of nouns. Another paradigm small-smaller-smallest expresses the degree of comparison of an adjective. So the paradigm may be defined as a set of grammatical forms represented by all the grammatical forms of a word. E.g. work, works, is working, has worked, is worked, was working, will work, etc. will be the paradigm of the verb "work".