[Author’s Name]
[Institution’s Name]
Essay on Syntax, Semantics and Kinesics
Syntax
Basically, syntax is the rules by which signs are combined to make statements. If you consider the words of a language to be its signs, then its syntax is the rules which put signs together to make statements, ask questions, and produce other utterances. Syntax incorporates the grammar of phrases, clauses, and sentences. Producing and uttering sentences is an important part of how we make sense of our world. We articulate the meaning of our experience in words; in the process of articulate, we make (or discover) the meaning of the experience. This process is similar to the ways in which we interpret literature (Longacre, 1979).
A few years ago, I was on Miami Beach. Along with the ocean breeze, there was the odor of exhaust from jet-skiers who were buzzing around just beyond the surf, coming close to swimmers and small craft. The juxtaposition of the two smells impressed me strongly. Since I'm inclined to express meaningful experiences in writing, I produced the following haiku:
Sea breeze, carrying the fumes, of jet-ski exhaust
If it is successful, it will convey to the reader something of what I experienced. In any case, by articulating that experience in those words in that order, I discovered, formulated, and expressed the meaning of the experience for me.
Semantics
Would you rather belong to the "Apple Dumpling Gang" or the "Crypts"? The connotation of the word gang reaches "hit an all time low" in the 1990's. We envision today's gang members as drug lords who kill each other on street corners. Society rejects and imprisons them. Once members of a "gang" simply shared common interests and enjoyed social acceptance, much as members of a club today..........
