Szintaxis

Szintaxis is the field of linguistics concerned with the rules and principles that govern the structure of sentences in natural language. It studies how words combine into phrases and clauses, how hierarchical structure is organized, and how syntactic relations such as agreement, argument structure, and movement are realized. Szintaxis interacts with morphology and semantics, and its study helps explain cross-linguistic variation as well as universal patterns that recur across languages.

The study of szintaxis is characterized by multiple theoretical frameworks. Traditional grammars used fixed phrase-structure rules to describe constituents. In modern linguistics, functional and formal theories model syntax with abstract representations such as trees and operations like merging and movement. Major approaches include generative grammar (including the Minimalist Program), dependency grammar, X-bar theory, construction grammar, and lexical-functional grammar. Analysts employ tests of constituency, substitution, and movement to derive surface forms from underlying structures, and they use formal grammars such as context-free or mildly context-sensitive grammars to model possible strings.

In addition to natural language, szintaxis is a central notion in computer science and formal languages. Here it defines the structure of valid strings in a programming language or formal notation, typically specified by grammars such as context-free grammars or BNF rules. Syntax is distinct from semantics: a program may be syntactically correct yet behave in unintended ways semantically. Parsing, syntax trees, and syntax-directed translation are key stages in compilers and interpreters, and syntax errors are common early diagnostic messages.