Describing Syntax And Semantics

‫عبير جراد محمد الشهري‬: ‫االسم‬

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Syntax: The Structure of Language

Definition

Syntax is the set of rules that govern how words and phrases are combined to form
grammatically correct sentences. In linguistics, Syntax is the study of the ideas and
guidelines that govern how words and phrases are arranged to form coherent sentences in
linguistics. Syntax is the collection of rules that specify a program's structure in computer
science.

Because syntax enables efficient communication between people, it is significant. Correct

syntax makes it easier for others to grasp what we intend. Misunderstandings and
confusion can result from improper syntax.

The Greek word "syntaxis," which meaning "arrangement," is where the word syntax first
appeared. It establishes the rules for combining words and phrases to create sentences.

The rules of syntax apply to all levels of language, including sounds (phonetics), words
(morphemes), and sentences.

Components of Syntax

Syntax is made up of different parts that work together to form a sentence's structure.
Among these elements are:

1. Phrases: In a syntactic structure, a phrase is a collection of words functioning as a

single unit. Phrases can be verb, noun, adjectival, adverbial, or any combination of these.

2. Clauses: A clause is a segment of grammar that consists of a verb and a subject.

Clauses might be dependent ("because I like them") or independent ("I eat apples").
3. Sentences: Made up of phrases and clauses, sentences are the biggest grammatical unit.
Declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences are all possible.

Syntax in Natural Language

The language that people use to communicate with one another is called natural language.
Both written and spoken language are included. Syntax in natural language is the set of
rules that govern how words and phrases are combined to form grammatically correct
sentences.

For example, in English, a sentence's subject must appear before its verb. Thus, while
"Sat the cat on the mat" is not grammatically proper, "The cat sat on the mat" is.

In natural languages, there are numerous additional syntactic rules. For example, in
English, adjectives come before nouns and adverbs come after verbs.

Syntax in Programming Languages

Programming languages are used to write computer programs. The collection of

guidelines that specify a program's structure is known as syntax in programming
languages.

For example, a function declaration in the programming language C needs to start with
the term int or void, then the function name and parenthesis. The parameters are the
function's inputs, and a list of them may appear in the parenthesis.

There are numerous additional syntactic rules in programming languages. For example,
in C, a semicolon must come at the end of every sentence.

Syntax Analysis Techniques

Syntax analysis is the process of determining the syntactic structure of a sentence or

program. Syntax analysis is typically done using a parser, which is a program that takes a
sentence or program as input and produces a parse tree as output. A parse tree is a
graphical representation of the syntactic structure of a sentence or program.
There are many different syntax analysis techniques. Some common techniques include:

 Top-down parsing: Top-down parsing starts at the root of the parse tree and works
its way down.

 Bottom-up parsing: Bottom-up parsing starts at the leaves of the parse tree and
works its way up.

 Recursive parsing: Recursive parsing uses recursion to parse sentences and

programs.

Examples of Syntax in Writing

Syntax may seem like a conceptual term, but put into practice, its significance and
linguistic meaning become clear.

 Subject plus verb agreement: Sentences are often structured as subject plus verb
plus direct object. For example, “She tossed the ball.” The syntactic analysis of
this sentence is that “she” is the subject, “tossed” is the verb, and “the ball” is the
direct object. This sentence’s meaning is clear, and it fits into a natural language
English speakers share.

 Independent and dependent clauses: Syntax also uses a combination of

independent and dependent clauses. An independent clause is one that can act as a
stand-alone sentence, such as “She tossed the ball.” A dependent clause is one that
is not a complete sentence but might give more context to or support the
independent clause. You can add a dependent clause to a simpler sentence to
enrich it: “After building up her strength for several weeks, she tossed the ball all
the way from left field to home plate.” Everything up to the comma in that
sentence acts as a dependent clause to modify the independent clause.
Syntax Errors and Debugging

Syntax errors are errors in a program's or sentence's syntax. Typos, improper keyword
usage, and missing punctuation can all result in syntax problems.

A parser can identify syntax problems. A parser will generate an error message if it finds
a syntax error. Usually, the error message will specify the type of error as well as where
the syntax error is located.

The process of debugging involves identifying and correcting syntax problems. You can
utilize the error messages generated by the parser to pinpoint the position and kind of
syntactic error in a sentence or program in order to debug it. Once the syntax errors have
been located, you can correct them and recompile the program.

Semantics: The Meaning of Language

Definition

The study of meaning is called semantics. It is focused on the connection between the
meaning we convey through signs and symbols and how we utilize them to communicate.
Numerous academic fields, such as linguistics, philosophy, computer science, and
artificial intelligence, can benefit from the study of semantics.

The study of meaning is known as semantics, which comes from the Greek word
"semantikos," which means "significant." It deals with how words, phrases, and sentences
are understood in relation to one another.

Components of Semantics

Semantics includes a number of linguistic elements, such as:

 lexical semantics :The study of word meanings and their relationships .

 phrasal semantics :Interpreting phrases and sentence meanings.
 Conceptual Semantics: This area of study is concerned with meaning's cognitive
structure.
Semantics in Natural Language

The study of semantics in natural language focuses on how words and phrases are used to
communicate meaning. It is focused on the connection between a sentence's form and
meaning.

For instance, although they have the same structure, the sentences "The cat sat on the
mat" and "The mat sat on the cat" have distinct meanings. In the first phrase, the cat is
said to be sitting on the mat, whereas in the second, the cat is said to be sitting on the mat.

Because the words are employed differently in these two statements, there is a change in
meaning. While "mat" refers to a sort of thing, "cat" refers to a kind of animal. The word
"sat" refers to a physical action.

Semantics in Programming Languages

The study of program meaning is known as semantics in programming languages. It is

focused on the connection between a program's execution and code.

int add(int a, int b) {

return a + b;

This code snippet's semantics are as follows: the add() function accepts two integers as
input and outputs the total of those two integers.

Formal Semantics

Formal semantics is a subfield of semantics that investigates language meaning through

the use of formal logic. Creating clear, concise descriptions of the meaning of words and
sentences is the goal of formal semantics.

Montague semantics is one of the most widely used systems in formal semantics. The
meaning of words and sentences is represented via a type system in Montague semantics.
A language's type system describes the many kinds of entities that can be referred to as
well as the connections between them.

Examples of Semantics in Writing

Semantics can change the meaning of a sentence with the order of the words and the use
of deixis.

 Word order: Consider the sentences “She tossed the ball” and “The ball tossed
her.” In the first, the subject of the sentence is actively tossing a ball, while in the
latter she is the one being tossed by a ball. Even though it is a grammatically
correct sentence, the latter makes less sense and doesn’t sound plausible.

 Deixis: Semantics can also rely on deixis, or common words that give context to a
place, time, or person. Words like “yesterday” or “he” or “here” are examples of
deixis and can help with semantics, or the meaning of a sentence. For example,
“He’s coming to dinner” is a sentence that sparks urgency, whereas “He’s coming
to dinner tomorrow”—the indexical word being tomorrow—implies that the
person or people prepping for the dinner have more time to prepare.

Semantics and Pragmatics

Studying pragmatics and semantics is closely related. Whereas pragmatics studies how
language's meaning is influenced by its context of use, semantics studies the meaning of
language itself.

For example, depending on the context, the line "It's hot in here" can be understood in a
variety of ways. The statement may be taken to be a temperature comment if it is said on
a hot day. Said in a crowded space, nevertheless, the sentence might be taken as a request
to open the window.

The pragmatics of the circumstances account for the divergence in understanding

between these two instances . The context in which the sentence is spoken provides
additional information that helps us to determine its meaning.
Syntax vs. Semantics: What’s the Difference?

Both syntax and semantics have specific linguistic meanings but are important
components of language philosophy. To put it simply, semantics pertains to meaning,
whereas syntax refers to grammar. Semantics is the process by which a person's
vocabulary, grammatical structure, tone, and other sentence components come together to
convey the meaning of a statement. Syntax is the collection of rules required to guarantee
that a sentence is grammatically accurate.

The table that follows demonstrates every important distinction between syntax and
semantics.

Syntax Semantics
Syntax is one that defines the rules Semantics is one that refers to the
and regulations that helps to write any meaning of the associated line of
statement in a programming language. code in a programming language.

Syntax does not have any relationship Semantics tells about the meaning.
with the meaning of the statement.

Syntax errors are encountered after the They are encountered at runtime.
program has been executed
Syntax errors are easy to catch. Semantics errors are difficult to catch.

References:

1) "The Syntax and Semantics of Entity-Relationship Diagrams" by Peter Chen

(1976)
2) "The Semantics of Data Models" by Ramez Elmasri and Shamkant Navathe
(1989)
3) https://www.masterclass.com/articles/syntax-vs-semantics
4) https://www.tutorialspoint.com/difference-between-syntax-and-semantics