Is Your Syntactic Component Really Necessary?

• Published in: Aphasiology Vol. 15; no. 4; pp. 343 - 360
• Main Author: Van Lancker, Diana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.04.2001
• ISSN: 0268-7038
• DOI: 10.1080/02687040042000287

Current, popular views in linguistic science continue to emphasize a preeminent role of syntax in models of language & in theories of language evolution, despite the considerable evidence pointing to the importance of semantics. Observations from language pathologies, arising from psychosis, dementia, & stroke, suggest that successful communication is more dependent on semantic than syntactic processes. Linguistic models focusing on syntactic structure have also failed to describe fixed, familiar expressions that are important in normal & impaired communication. Evidence is given to argue that in human verbal communication, verbal meaning can proceed successfully without benefit of grammar, but grammar is ineffectual without meanings. A valid description of human language requires greater attention to semantics. 116 References. Adapted from the source document