syntaxe

Forms

syntaxe f (plural syntaxes)^[1] First written sintaxe (1572, Ramus), respelled syntaxe after the Latin in 1640.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin syntaxis (“arrangement of words”), a Hellenism used by the Latin grammarians from Priscian,^[4][2][3] from Ancient Greek σύνταξις (súntaxis, “putting in order, arrangement”), from συντάσσω (suntássō, “to arrange together”), from σύν (sún, “with, together”) and τάσσω (tássō, “to arrange”).^[5][6][1][7] The sense “grammar book” is a calque of Medieval Latin syntaxis in that sense.^[4][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLF-Étym dates the first record to 1555, in La Ramée's Dialectique, where grammar has two parts, Etymologie et Syntaxe.^[4] The TLFi, Rey and Bloch and Wartburg date it from Ramus's grammar of 1572, which defines it as the part of grammar that teaches the “building of words among themselves” by their properties.^[3][2][9][7]

Semantic evolution

Before Ramus, French grammarians said “construction” or “good ordering of words”; he introduced the word for the arrangement of words and the study of its rules.^[2] By 1618 it was used in the title of a grammar book, and the Académie recorded the sense “book of these rules” in 1718.^[4][3] From the 18th century it also meant the relations between linguistic units themselves, and later the syntax of a given author.^[2][6]

Outside language it was extended by analogy to other ordered systems of signs: syntaxe des couleurs in Huysmans (1883), then the images of film (1929).^[2][4] Logic took it up in 1948, computing in 1972 and semiotics in 1979.^[4] English syntax, recorded from 1613, came from French.^[4]

Timeline

• 1555 – La Ramée names Syntaxe as one of the two parts of grammar.^[4]
• 1572 – Ramus defines sintaxe in his grammar.^[3][2]
• 1613 – English syntax is recorded, borrowed from French.^[4]
• 1618 – Maupas's Grammaire et syntaxe francoise uses it of a book.^[4]
• 1640 – The spelling syntaxe replaces sintaxe.^[2]
• 1680 – Richelet records sintaxe.^[4]
• 1718 – The Académie records the sense “book of rules”.^[3][4]
• 1883 – Huysmans writes of a syntaxe des couleurs.^[4][2]
• 1972 – Used in computing.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. (grammar, linguistics) The part of grammar that studies how words combine into clauses and sentences, and the rules that govern this: une faute de syntaxe.^[10][3][6]
2. The set of these relations in a language, period or author.^[6][2]
3. (dated) A book setting out these rules.^[4][6][7]
4. (computing) The rules for writing and arranging the statements of a programming language.^[4][6]
5. (logic, semiotics) The rules that govern the combination of signs in a formal system.^[4]

Word family

• syntaxique

Related words

• syntactique
• syntagme
• parataxe
• Ancient Greek σύνταξις (súntaxis)

Usage notes

In Belgium and Quebec, classe de syntaxe was the class of the classical course devoted to the rudiments and to elementary syntax, recorded from 1843 to 1956; it is now dated.^[4]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d e f g Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Steinfeld, Nadine; Buchi, Éva, eds. (2005–), TLF-Étym: révision des notices étymologiques du Trésor de la langue française informatisé, Nancy: ATILF
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
7. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 12, 499b
9. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
10. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert