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A paradigm is a set of associated concepts which are members of a category, and are represented by words. For example: sat, fat, hat, mat, bat.
Paradigmatic relation is concerned with the way words are grouped together into categories, like nouns, verbs, adjectives etc. Words in the same group, or word class, can be exchanged for each other in a sentence: 'The dog/cat/chimpanzee bit me '.
Let's look at some of the theory behind this idea.
'Paradigmatic relation' is closely related to semiotics. Semiotics is about how meanings are produced by signs. The word semeion means 'sign' in greek.
Any sign is made up of two parts, a concept and sound-image. We do not mean a sound like a dog's bark, but the sensory impression the word gives us. Signs explain the whole concept of the word and the meanings we attach to it. Language is then considered by Saussurean linguistics to be a self-enclosed system. Saussure replaces word 'concept' with signified and 'sound-image' with signifier. The word 'tree' has two parts: it is a sound (/ tri: /) and it is an idea (whatever you think of when you hear the word 'tree'. The sound (/ tri: /) is the signifier and the idea-in-your-head is the signified.
Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913) is considered the founder of structuralist linguistics. Structuralist linguistics analyses the structure of language, and how meaning is embedded in words and sentences.
In his studies, Saussure offered three main ideas:
Tip: Saussure offered theoretical reconstructions of the Proto-Indo-European language, which is an ancestor of the Indo-European language family that includes English, French, Russian, and Spanish!
Another way to think about signs is this picture from Rene Magritte:
This is not a pipe, wikipedia.com
You may know this, but this is not an actual pipe. It is an image of a pipe. We have randomly assigned meaning to the painting of a pipe. But it is not a pipe. It is a painting of a pipe. Magritte's painting subverts our expectations about objects and their names.
The choice of signs and their arrangement in a sentence is crucial to understanding language analysis and semiotic relationships.
It may be easy to get these two terms mixed up...Let's take a look at the differences between the two!
Syntagmatic relation refers to the relationship between words in a sentence. Any alterations to the word combination can change the meaning of the sentence:
Both sentences have the same components but in a different order. In other words, the syntagmatic relation explains how the word's position in a sentence determines the meaning of the sentence.
Paul + is bathing + a dog
A dog + is bathing + Paul
A Syntagm is a 'linguistic unit' in a relationship with other such units in a particular sequence. Individual syntagms are the building blocks of text. Syntagms are grouped to form words, words are grouped to form phrases, and phrases are grouped to form sentences, etc. Paragraphs and chapters are considered a syntagm of words, and the grouping is sometimes called a chain.
Paradigmatic relation involves the differentiation and selection of words in a sentence. Look at this sentence:
The | man | cried
We can see how words can act as building blocks that make up the sentence. However, since paradigmatic relations involve substitutions and selections, we can replace a word in the sentence to make different combinations or meanings.
The | man | sang
Or:
The | man | died
Or even:
The | boy | cried.
Paradigmatic relationships are sets of associated words (paradigms) which are all members of some defining category.
Below are some more examples of paradigmatic relations:
↑ Paradigmatic Relations ↓ | Subject | verb | Object | ||
| Determiner | Adjective | Noun | Noun | ||
| The | beautiful | woman | buys | some bread | |
| old | lady | buys | some cakes | ||
| handsome | man | sold | some vegetables | ||
| tall | boy | is eating | a hotdog | ||
As you can see, there are several possible variations of 'The beautiful woman buys the bread':
We can conclude that:
| ↑ Paradigmatic relations ↓ | ← Syntagmatic Relations → | ||||
| Subject | verb | Object | |||
| Determiner | Adjective | Noun | Noun | ||
| The | beautiful | woman | buys | some brioche | |
| At | unattractive | lady | buys | some bread | |
| That | handsome | man | ate | some chicken | |
Paradigmatic relation:
Let's take 'The beautiful woman buys some brioche'.
Syntagmatic relation:
Let's take 'That handsome man ate some chicken'.
There are different types of paradigmatic relations. From the examples above, we can see that paradigmatic relations involve substituting a word for another word from the same word class, either with a similar meaning (synonymy), an opposite meaning (antonymy), or a-kind-of meaning (hyponymy).
Synonymy is when words have similar meanings. The meaning of A is similar to B (A ≈ B).
Some examples of synonyms are:
Synonyms can be divided into two subtypes:
Be careful when doing word substitution with synonymy. Not every synonymous word fits in all situations (partial synonyms). You have to consider some factors, such as the context, relationship between words, register, regional variation, etc.
Antonymy is when words have opposite meanings. The meaning of A is the opposite of B (A↔B).
Some examples of antonyms are:
Antonyms can be divided into three subtypes:
Important to note: The word substitution with antonym is relatively free without restrictions. Of course, you need to consider that the sentence's meaning will change if you substitute a word with its antonym.
Hyponymy refers to a super- and subordination relationship between words. A is a kind of B (A ↑ ↓ B).
Some examples of hyponyms are:
If you want to keep the sentence meaning like its original, substitute the word with its hypernym (superordinate of a word) and not with its co-hyponym (hyponyms on the same hierarchical level). For instance,
I have to babysit my sister's poodle this weekend.
With this in mind, the sentence 'The beautiful woman buys some brioche' can be re-written in a variety of meaningful ways. By using or we can create a range of sentences:
| Example | The | beautiful | woman | buys | some brioche | |
| similar meaning | synonym | The | pretty | lady | buys | some brioche |
| opposite meaning | antonym | unattractive | man | sold | some brioche | |
| superordinate meaning | hyponymous | beautiful | woman | buys | some bread | |
Paradigmatic Relation involves the substitution and selection of words in a sentence to create different combinations or meanings, and is concerned with the way words are grouped together into categories.
An example of paradigmatic relation involves how words in the same group, or word class, can be exchanged for each other in a sentence: 'The dog / cat / chimpanzee bit me'.
Some types of paradigmatic relation are synonymy, antonymy, and hyponymy - these are all examples of the substitution method.
Paradigmatic Relation involves the substitution and selection of words in a sentence to create different combinations or meanings. Syntagmatic relation refers to the relationship between words in a sentence and how any alterations to the word combination in a sentence can change the meaning of the sentence.
A paradigm is a set of associated concepts or sound images which are members of a category, yet each element is different.
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