Linear Order and the Construction of Meaning: Is Syntax Deceptive?

Abstract

It is commonly assumed that the syntax of a sentence and its semantic interpretation cannot differ radically, if some kind of coherence is to be maintained. We analyse here some examples that tend to show that syntax sometimes imposes its own rules, regardless of the semantic data, and that the interpretation is then saved because of our general cognitive knowledge about the world. Conversely semantics sometimes “twists” the grammatical rules so as to enrich the linguistic tools the speaker requires for a better encoding of his/her communicative desires.

Keywords

• linear order
• semantic interpretation
• syntactic functions
• syntax
• syntax/semantics linking