Parallel structural patterns in internal linguistic systems of English: an integrated approach

Abstract

This paper reviews the major parallel structural patterns common across all internal linguistic systems despite the fact that important differences exist between the different language systems besides similarities. However, the prevailing pedagogic approaches to treating these internal linguistic systems as mutually exclusive rather than complementary have highlighted the differences by bringing them to the fore and at the same time have obscured and ignored the essential similarities shared by them all. Drawing on Radford’s (2004) reflection that binarity is equally valid and applicable to the constituent structures of phonological and morphological systems and operations along with that of syntax, the present study extends certain other operations primarily discussed and analysed in terms of syntactic constituents to have been equal application and validity in other linguistic systems i.e., phonology, morphology, and lexicology. This study has concentrated on aspects of general structural patterns in three significant patterns such as ‘essential/non-essential dichotomy’, ‘ordering of elements in constituents at all levels, ‘subcategorization’ restrictions on elements of constituents at all levels. It has been concluded that all the features equally apply to all three internal linguistic systems.