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. 2 OKARA, Vol. I, Tahun 7, Mei 2012 TAGMEMICS (AN INTRODUCTION TO TAGMEMICS CONCEPT) Abd. Muqit 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. OKARA, Vol. I, Tahun 7, Mei 2012 3 TAGMEMICS (AN INTRODUCTION TO TAGMEMICS CONCEPT) Abd. Muqit 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.