TAGMEMICS (An Introduction to Tagmemics Concepts)

Oleh: Abd. Muqit (Dosen Politeknik Negeri Malang)

Abstract : The tagmemics is a unit comprising a function and a class of items fulfilling that function. It is most suitable in describing languages and applied to the description of a very large number of hitherto unrecorded languages. Tagmemics differs from alternative systems of grammatical analysis in that it defines the basic units of language (tagmemes) as composite elements, one part being the “slot,” or “function,” and the other the “filler,” or “class.” One such tagmeme, at the syntactic level of analysis, might be the noun-as-subject (in which the noun is a class that “fills” the subject “slot” in a construction). This article also introduce how tagmemics show for a syntactical counterpart to the phonological and morphological terms, phoneme and morpheme--something at the sentence level which could function as a key identifying unit in the same way that these well- established terms functioned

Keywords: tagmemics, syntagmeme, etic, emic

A. Introduction However, in present The word grammar has first development of language teaching, begun with the Greek philosophical the teaching of grammar seems to speculations and has come to mean create a controversial issue among “the art of speaking and writing teachers, applied linguists and correctly”.1 It presents the syllabus designers. Some of them like fundamental entity of developing to teach grammar explicitly, others one’s ideas in expressing his prefer to teach implicitly, and still concepts and perceptions toward his some others prefer not to talk about it environment. The ideas cannot be at all. If grammar is regarded as “a understood unless they are put in well taboo” by some linguists, it is also arrangements of constructions called overtly appreciated and warmly grammar. embraced by some others, and it is even reestablished. My personal perception on 1Moumene Ahmed , “Case grammar and teaching grammar in general seems its implication to developing writing skill” (www. to be primary importance in language webrew.dz/mg/pdf/, 1999), p. 1 TAGMEMICS (AN INTRODUCTION TO TAGMEMICS CONCEPT) Abd. Muqit

learning especially those who do not in viewing the tagmemics speak the language as a native one. arrangement from inside and outside Learners cannot combine words into the sentence provided. phrase and sentences to form The uniqueness of the meaningful means of communication tagmemics is that, it can be applied unless they are introduced to the into every language and it may be abstract mechanisms that manage used in different fields of study, such the important characteristics of the as social science and psychology. language. Thus the question that The tagmemics parts: slot, filler class, should be raised is not whether the role, and cohesion may occur in every grammar should be taught or not, but language and lead it to the what type of grammar to teach and universality in language construction. how to teach it. While the tagmemics use for social One of the very important and psychological aspect is its “emic” grammars need to be taught is and “etic”. The emic and ethic tagmemics. It is an interesting topic of concepts may be applied in social a grammar construction by denoting a since in term of approach new combination of the previous encountered. grammar models, such as traditional This paper tries to describe grammar, structuralism, the tagmemics briefly involving the transformation, and case grammar.2 definition of tagmemics, types of The central concept of the tagmemic tagmemics construction, is the tagmeme, defined by the syntagmeme, and emic and etic. relation between a syntagtic “slot” or function, such as subject or object, B. The Nature of tagmemics and a class of units, such as noun 1. Definition of tagmemics phrase or pronoun, that can “fill” it,3 The word tagmemics is role or the function in a position, and originally derived from the word cohesion or the relation to other units “tagmeme”. It comes from the Greek and wider context. 4 The tagmemics word tagma meaning “arrangement”.5 produces the concept of “Emic” and It refers to the function or slot of a “Etic”. Both of them refer to the ideas grammatical unit and the class of 6 words fills the slot. Matthews 2Soeparno, 2008. Aliran Tagmemik, defines the tagmemics is “the relation (Yogyakarta: Tiara Wacana, 2008), p. 1-3 3Matthews, P.H., The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics, (Oxford: Oxford 5Cook, S.J., Walter A. Introduction to University Press, 1997), p. 371. Tagmemic Analysis. New York: Holt, Rinehart and 4Randal, Allison, “Tagmemics: an Winston, Inc. 1969), p. 7. introduction to lisnguistics for Perl Developers or 6Matthews, P.H., The Concise Oxford “Wouldn’t know a tagmeme if it bit me on the Dictionary of Linguistics, (Oxford: Oxford parse”, 2002, p. 13 University Press, 1997), p. 372.

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between a syntactic ‘slot’ or function, The notion of tagmemics as a such as subject or object, and a class basic unit of grammar, first presented of units, such as noun phrase or by Kenneth L. Pike in 1954. He pronoun, that can fill it. Robins7 gives described how he had arrived at the a following definition of the notion of the tagmeme by working tagmemics by stating that “A with artificial languages with a tagmeme is a place in a structure constant lexical inventory but varying (syntactic or morphological) together grammatical structures, and contrasts with the formal class of elements his use of the word ’tagmeme’.9 A occupying that place (often referred to tagmeme is basically a composite of in the literature as a ‘slot’ with its form and meaning, a “unit-in-context.” ‘filler’). Where many other linguists only From the definitions above, it wanted to study the objective form of can be understood that the language (that is, its “etic” aspect), tagmemics is a type of arrangement Pike felt that the interesting thing was of sentence function named ‘slot’ and how language actually functioned for the kind of word class put in it. As an users in real life—its “emic” aspect. example is the sentence he loves Jill. There are two episodes of the This sentence has three tagmemes: tagmemics development: the first subject filled by pronoun he, predicate phase and the second phase. The filled by transitive verb loves, and first phase of the tagmemics is still object filled by (proper) noun Jill. This incomplete because it just involves example of a statement is formulated two dimensions: slot and filler class.10 using abbreviations by means of The later is more complete and it symbols to represent the function or consists of four features: slot (where functional place (slot) followed by a the unit can appear), filler class (what colon, followed by in turn by a symbol type of unit it is), role (how the unit representing the class of ‘filler’: functions), and cohesion (how the unit +S:pn+P:tv+O:n. For the noun or relates to other units). 11 pronoun in a subject slot and object slot, there is a possibility of writing the tagmemics by using this model: 8 +S:n/pn+P:tv+O:n/pn. This example can be extended into wider level of 9Cook, S.J., Walter A. Introduction to application. The tagmemic symbols Tagmemic Analysis. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. 1969), p. 13. can be seen in appendix. 10Soeparno, 2008. Aliran Tagmemik, (Yogyakarta: Tiara Wacana, 2008), p. 5. 11Randal, Allison, “Tagmemics: an 7Robins, R.H., General Linguistics, introduction to lisnguistics for Perl Developers or (London: Longman, 1980), p. 279. “Wouldn’t know a tagmeme if it bit me on the 8Ibid., p. 29. parse”. 2002, p. 10.

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Randal12 shows the placement distributed in the constructions in of the four figures of the tagmeme which they occur, tagmemes have into a picture in the following lines. many types. They are: obligatory or optional to construction, nuclear or peripheral to the structure, distributed Slot Class in fixed or movable positions.14

Role Cohesion (1) Obligatory or optional construction Obligatory tagmeme The picture above shows that the slot describes where the unit construction is a tagmeme that occurs in every manifestation of the appears or where the unit goes. The filler class shows what type of unit it is structure in a given data. It is marked with a plus (+) sign to or what kind of unit it is. The role explains how the unit functions or why indicate that it must occur whenever the construction occurs. In other this unit is here or what’s its function. The cohesions demonstrates how the word, the tagmeme must be completed by a word to clarify its unit relates to other units and to the wider context. meaningful purpose. As an example is the sentence they kiss flowers. Tagmemic becomes a very interesting object of study because it This sentence is called obligatory construction because it needs an has specific characteristics, a combination of all theories of object. The word kiss needs an object, flower. This sentence can be language. The traditional grammar analysis on function is placed in the formulated with +S:pn+P:tv+O:n, that is to say a noun subject is slot, and the structural grammar on its surface structure is put in filler class. followed by a transitive verb predicate, and this must be followed While the case grammar is presented in the role position and the rationalist by a noun object. 13 Optional tagmeme, on the is taken as cohesion. This model of selection for a certain category in the other hand, is a tagmeme that occurs in some but not all of the previous theories elicits a new label for the tagmemics, called elective. manifestations of the construction. It is marked with a plus/minus (±) sign

2. Types of tagmemics constructions to indicate that it may occur, but need not necessarily occurs, As it is known that tagmemes are function-forms which are whenever the construction occurs.

12Ibid. p. 11. 14Cook, S.J., Walter A. Introduction to 13Soeparno, 2008. Aliran Tagmemik, Tagmemic Analysis. New York: Holt, Rinehart and (Yogyakarta: Tiara Wacana, 2008), p. 10. Winston, Inc. 1969), p. 17.

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Such as in the sentence of John Figure 1 eats (meat) can be presented in the Subject Noun phrase formula +S:n+P:tv±O:n, that is to say that a noun subject is followed

by a transitive verb predicate, and Actor Obligatory this may or may not be followed by a agreement with noun object. verb

(2) Nuclear or peripheral construction The monkey eats banana Nuclear construction is defined a tagmeme that is The figure above shows that diagnostic of the construction in the word the monkey filled the slot which it occurs. It may be either as subject and its class is noun obligatory or optional tagmeme. A phrase. The role for the word the peripheral tagmeme, in contrast, is a monkey is as an actor and it is in an tagmeme that is not diagnostic for obligatory position. the construction in which it occurs. It Figure 2 is always optional. The peripheral Nucleus Predicate Verb tagmeme is sometimes called satellite or marginal tagmeme.

All obligatory tagmemes are Statement Transitive nuclear, but not all nuclear Number agreement tagmemes are not obligatory; all with the subject optional tagmemes are not The monkey eats banana peripheral, but all pheripheral tagmemes are optional. The The function of the word eats application of these two rules comes is as nucleus predicate and its class the tree-way classification of is verb. The role of eat is as a tagmemes as stated by Longacre15: statement and it is a transitive. Figure 3 (1) nuclear and obligatory; (2) nuclear and optional; and (3) Object Noun peripheral (and optional). The application of these classifications can be seen in the Undergoer Optional

figures below:

The monkey eats banana

The function of the word 15 Longacre, Robert E. "Some banana is as subject and it filled by fundamental insights of tagmemics". In Language 41, (1964), p. 19. noun. Its role is as undergoer

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(object) and it is optional, can be 3. Syntagmeme replaced by other words in similar Syntagmeme is defined as “a class. potential string of tagmemes, whose manifesting sequence of morphemes (3) Movable or fixed order of fills a grammatical slot.16 There are construction three types of syntagmemes: Tagmemes are generally exocentric and endocentric, closed assumed to occur in the position in and open ended, recursive and non- which they are represented in a recursive layering. fixed linear sequence, string. In the case of languages with movable (1) Exocentric and endocentric word order, the statistically An endocentric prominent order is represented in construction is centered about one the string, but the movability of the or more head tagmemes and tagmeme must be indicated. This marked by subordination or construction is labeled by a coordination. Such as men and formulation below. woman for coordinative and clever tCl=(+S:n+P;tV+O:n) ± L:loc boy for sub-ordinative. An ±T:tem exocentric, in contrast, is not A teacher drink coffee in the centered. In endocentric canteen at 10 am construction, the whole construction may be replaced by a form similar in If the tagmeme has two and form class to the head of only two fixed positions in the string, construction; in exocentric, where the alternate positions may be there is no head tagmeme, the represented by writing the tagmeme whole construction does not fill the in each position, in an either/or same slot as one of it part. notation such as ± A….±A. If the Exocentric is marked by preposition tagmeme is freely movable within followed by a noun or noun group the string, one device used is an such as toward London, from the arrow written above the movable country, etc, and conjunction tagmeme. If, in the same situation, followed by clause group such as if the tagmemes are freely movable, we had the money, because it is not but may not interrupt the nucleus, or good, etc. SPO complex, then the nuclear element may be enclosed in (2) Closed and open ended parentheses to restrict the movability tagmemes.

16 Cook, S.J., Walter A. Introduction to Tagmemic Analysis. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. 1969), p. 21.

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Some constructions are wholly derived by it. Grammatical closed, while others seem to have must have methods for handling no limit to their expansion recursive constructions Tagememics possibilities. Coordinate has this recursiveness with layering constructions are open-ended at formulas, but not all cases of almost all levels except the word layering are recursive. The recursive level, where morphemes are layering formula is X→X+Y, where combined into words. As an the same symbol occurs on both example is this phrase: sides of the arrows or rewrite sign.

He went to store and bought books, The police said the assassin pencils, pens… shouted he hoped he had killed him

The tagmemics model is expressed tCl=+S:N+P:TV+O:tcl/pn by: Nco=+H1:n±H2:n±H3:n…+C:c+Hn:n Non recursive layering is an inclusion of phrase within phrase, In the example, the object or clause within clause, and need slot, filled by a coordinate noun not be recursive. For example, an phrase, indicate a phrase level adjective phrase might be included construction that can be extended within a noun phrase. Thus, in without limit. The conjunction phrase, a very old man, the word generally occurs before the last very modify old in an adjective items recorded. The discontinuity of phrase. The whole phrase very old, the construction is indicated by three is then one of the modifiers of the dots (…) and the final expression word man. indicates how the construction has closure. The modification structures 4. Emic and Etic may be open ended; and limitless One of Pike's other number of modifier can be added at contributions to linguistic theory is his the will of the speaker. Example: distinction between emic and etic viewpoints. Pike coined the terms We want students who are bright, from the endings of the words, honest, deligent…. phonemic and phonetic. The "emic" view is the perspective of the insider, AJco=+H1:aj+H2:aj+H3:aj… the native, and is concerned with the contrastive, patterned system within a (3) Recursive and non-recursive layering universe of discourse; the "etic" view Recursive layering of a unit is the perspective of the means that the rule re-apply to form outsider who looks for universals and a construction that is itself partly or generalizations. The "emic" view is

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the view we expect from a participant role, and cohesion. Its specific finding within a system; the "etic" view is the and contribution to the linguistic view we expect of the alien observer. science is emic and etic. Tagmemes are the essential The tagmemics development units of grammar, but parallel to meets with two periods, the first phonology and lexicon. The grammar period marked by identification of has essential units and non-essential tagmemeics component of slot and units. The non-essential unit is called filler. The latter development marked an etic unit. It is the view of the unit by adding the role and cohesion. from an outsider point of view. The

essential unit, on the other hand, is BIBLIOGRAPHY called emic unit. It is a unit of language from the point of view of a Ahmed, Moumene, 1999, “Case grammar and its implication to native speaker of the language. developing writing skill”, www. To make a clear description is webrew.dz/mg/pdf/ shown by an example of a pair of synonyms, such as ‘aid’ and ‘assist’. Cook, S.J., Walter A. 1969. Introduction to Tagmemic Analysis. New These words are objectively different, York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, but the fact claims that they can be Inc. used and understood in the same Kissel, Joe, 2005. “Tagmemics: The way in a given context which makes linguistic theory of everything” them equivalent at the level of www.dictionary. english grammar. We used the terms “etic” Longacre, Robert E. 1964. "Some (as in phonetic) and “emic” (as in fundamental insights of phonemic) to describe objective and tagmemics". subjective units of meaning, respectively. Thus, in this example, Matthews, P.H., 1997. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics, “aid” and “assist” are etically different Oxford: Oxford University Press but emically the same. 17 Randal, Allison, 2002. “Tagmemics: an introduction to lisnguistics for C. Conclusion Perl Developers or “Wouldn’t Tagmemics is a new know a tagmeme if it bit me on breakthrough of learning grammar. It the parse”.

is developed by Keeneth L. Pike. The Robins, R.H., 1980, General Linguistics, nature concept of tagmemics is the London: Longman tagmeme. The tagmemics has four Soeparno, 2008, Aliran Tagmemik, principle features: slot, filler class, Yogyakarta: Tiara Wacana

17Joe Kissel, “Tagmemics: The linguistic theory of everything” (www.dictionary. English, 2005), p. 4.

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