“Once upon a time” there were only 100 languages in the world. Nowadays there are around 5,000 to 10,000 languages (Kracht 2011: 4). Every language has five levels of analysis: morphology, phonology, phonetics, semantics and syntax. Both the semantic and the morphology are closely related to the syntax. While the morphology deals with the structure within words, the semantic deals with the meaning of sentences and the syntax with the grammatical structure of sentences (Brown & Miller 1980: 12). Each language has its own unique structure. However, there are also differences within a language. The structure not only changed historically but also when it comes to the target groups. To make these differences clear, this essay will focus on the syntactic structure of children vs. adult fairy tales.
Table of Contents
2 INTRODUCTION
3 SYNTACTICAL CATEGORIES
3.1 SENTENCES
3.2 CLAUSES
3.3 PHRASES
3.4 WORD CLASSES
4 HOW CHILDREN ARE INTRODUCED TO THE WRITTEN LANGUAGE
5 LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD - SYNTAX ANALYSIS
6 CONCLUSION
Objectives and Research Focus
This essay explores the influence of target audience age on linguistic structure by conducting a comparative syntactic analysis of children's and adult versions of the fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood."
- Comparison of sentence structures (simple vs. complex)
- Application of syntactical categories including clauses and phrases
- Analysis of lexical and functional word class usage
- Investigation of literacy acquisition models in relation to textual complexity
- Evaluation of syntactic reduction in children's literature
Excerpt from the Book
5 Little Red Riding Hood - Syntax Analysis
Both texts used are about the story of the Little Red Riding Hood. As already mentioned (see point 2), language is very versatile and can be examined on several aspects. In both fairy tale versions, the form in which speech can occur is clearly recognizable.
It is striking that the children’s version (see Appendix 1) is much shorter than the adult version (see Appendix 2). Therefore, much has been omitted in terms of content. In addition, the version for children uses a simplified diction, such as abbreviations as ‘Granny’ (see Appendix 1 verse 2).
But the versions also differ in syntactical structures. To illustrate this with examples, the sentence from the children version is used:
(1) He got into Granny’s bed. (CV)
(2) She looked at the wolf. (CV)
Summary of Chapters
2 INTRODUCTION: This chapter outlines the levels of linguistic analysis and establishes the focus on comparing the syntactic structures of children's versus adult fairy tales.
3 SYNTACTICAL CATEGORIES: This chapter defines core linguistic concepts including sentences, clauses, phrases, and word classes as the theoretical framework for the subsequent analysis.
4 HOW CHILDREN ARE INTRODUCED TO THE WRITTEN LANGUAGE: This section discusses the process of literacy acquisition and how language learners transition through developmental stages.
5 LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD - SYNTAX ANALYSIS: This chapter provides a comparative practical analysis of specific sentence constructions found in both versions of the fairy tale.
6 CONCLUSION: This chapter summarizes findings, highlighting that children's versions utilize simpler sentence structures and a reduced set of word classes compared to adult versions.
Keywords
Syntax, Linguistics, Fairy Tales, Sentence Structure, Children's Literature, Clauses, Phrases, Word Classes, Literacy Acquisition, Comparative Analysis, Syntax Analysis, Declarative Sentences, Complex Sentences, Morphology, Semantics.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this paper?
The paper examines how syntactic structures in fairy tales differ based on the target audience, specifically comparing children's versions with adult versions.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The work covers syntactic categories, language acquisition stages, and comparative textual analysis of fairy tales.
What is the primary research goal?
The primary goal is to illustrate how language structure changes according to target groups by analyzing the syntactic complexity of two versions of "Little Red Riding Hood."
Which scientific methods are utilized?
The author uses a comparative linguistic analysis method, employing tree diagrams to visualize and evaluate sentence structures, clauses, and phrases.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body defines syntactic components like sentences, clauses, and word classes, followed by an application of these concepts to textual examples from the chosen fairy tales.
What keywords characterize the work?
The work is characterized by terms such as syntax, sentence structure, comparative analysis, and literacy acquisition.
How does the children's version differ syntactically?
The children's version predominantly uses simple, major sentences and avoids complex structures, opting for a minimal set of word classes.
Why is the "adult version" of the text considered more complex?
The adult version frequently employs compound and complex sentences linked by conjunctions, and incorporates a wider variety of parts of speech such as adjectives and adverbs.
- Citar trabajo
- Hanna Fennekohl (Autor), 2018, Applied Linguistics. The Sentence Structure in Children Version vs. Adult Version. "Little Red Riding Hood", Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/460690
