The Ubiquity of the Sentence

This chapter considers the larger broader functions of language and grammar. The sentence is both the highest point of grammatical explanation to which traditional grammars aspire, and in its complexity and variety the stumbling block for elaborations based on any theory. The relationships between the major components of one or more sentences, and the possible variations and subtleties admitted by a language at this level, provide the basis for the enrichment of our linguistic theories. We look here at some of the hidden agenda which lies beneath the sentential surface, the expectation and anticipation which lie beneath our pronoun system, including the other understood omissions of anaphora and elision, and the class of humour represented by riddles involving puns and scenarios involving misinformation. We examine whether our grammatical assumptions in areas such as recursion and transformation are adequate, warranted or just simplisitic. Our conclusions are that these approaches gloss over certain semantic overtones and cohesive constraints. We end up questioning the validity of even trying to find a complete syntax and semantics which is invariant across both individual and time, and assert the importance of a dynamic model of grammar.