Some Basic Features of Word-Groups

To get a better insight into the essentials of structure and meaning of word-groups we must begin with a brief survey of the main factors active in uniting words into word-groups.

The two main linguistic factors to be considered in this connection are the lexical and the grammatical valency of words.

1. Lexical valency (Collocability). It is an indisputable fact that words are used in certain lexical contexts, i.e. in combination with other words. The noun question, e.g., is often combined with such adjectives as vital, pressing, urgent, disputable, delicate, etc. This noun is a component of a number of other word-groups, e.g., to raise a question, a question of great importance. The aptness of a word to appear in various combinations is described as its lexical valency or collocability. The range of the lexical valency of words is linguistically restricted by the inner structure of the English word-stock. This can be easily observed in the selection of synonyms found in different word-groups. Though the verbs liftand raise, e.g., are usually treated as synonyms, it is only the latter that is collocated with the noun question.

The verbtake may be synonymically interpreted as “grasp”, “seize”, “catch”, “lay hold of”, etc. but it is only take that is found in collocation with the nouns examination, measures, precautions, etc., only catchin catch smb napping and grasp in grasp the truth.

The lexical valency of correlated words in different languages is not identical. Both the English word flower and its Russian counterpart - цветок: for example, may be combined with a number of other words all of which denote the place where the flowers are grown, e.g. garden flowers, hot-house flowers, etc. (cf.- pot-flowers – комнатные цветы).

One more point of importance of lexical valency of words may manifest themselves in the lexical meanings of the polysemantic members of word-groups. The adjective heavy, e.g., is combined with the words food, meals, supper, etc. in the meaning “rich and difficult to digest”. But not all the words with more or less the same component of meaning can be combined with this adjective. One cannot say, for instance, heavy cheese or heavy sausage.

Same difference observed that different meanings of a word may be described through the possible lexical valency of the words, for example, the different meanings of the adj.: heavy may be described through the word-groups heavy weight, (book, table, etc), heavy show (storm, rain, etc.), heavy (drinker, eater), heavy (sleep, disappointment, sorrow), heavy industry (tanks, etc.), and so on.

Grammatical valency. Words are used also in grammatical contexts. The minimal grammatical context in which words are used when brought together to form word-groups is usually described as the pattern of the word-group. For instance, the adj. Heavy discussed above can be followed by a noun (e.g. heavy storm or by the infinitive of a verb (e.g. heavy to lift), etc. The aptness of a word to appear in specific grammatical (or rather syntactic) structures is termed grammatical valency. The range of grammatical valency is delimited by the part of speech the word belongs to. It follows that the grammatical valency at each individual word is dependent on the grammatical structure of the language. This is not to imply that grammatical valency of words belonging to the same part of speech of the two synonymous verbs suggest and propose. Both verbs can be followed by a noun (to propose or suggest a plan, a resolution). It is only propose, however that can be followed by the infinitive of a verb ( to propose to do smth.). The adj-s clever and intelligent are seen to possess different grammatical valency as clever can be used in word-groups having the pattern: ADJ.+PREPOS. at + NOUN (clever at mathematics), whereas intelligent can never be found and in exactly the same word-group.

3). a) STRUCTURE OF WORD-GROUPS

Structurally word-groups may be described through the order and arrangement of the component members. The word-group to see smth. can be classified as a verbal-nominal group, to see to smth. as verbal- prepositional-nominal, etc.