bonsai's definitions

syntax

A subcategory of linguistics, syntax is the study of sentence structure and the rules that govern it. From a linguistic point of view, the "rules of grammar" as published in textbooks are irrelevant; what's important is that syntax categorizes the way the sentences are stored in our brain.

surface structure: "Where did Mark go last night?"
deep structure: "Mark did go last night where."

by bonsai May 19, 2005