The Principal Glossary

This glossary contains the major terms of the course.

Browse the glossary using this index

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D

Deep Structure

The deep structure (DS) is much more abstract and is considered to be in the speaker's mind. It refers to certain important generalisationsabout the structure of the sentence which are different from its surface.

Descriptive Grammar

A descriptive grammar is a set of rules based on how language is actually used.

Diachronic Approach

A diachronic approach to language is the study ofthe history of a language, focussing on language change in pronunciation, grammar or vocabulary.