Linguistic Clause

A Linguistic Clause is a terminal word string with a predicate and a clause subject that expresses a proposition.

• Context:
  • It can (typically) be a Linguistic Component.
  • It can be a Substring of a Natural Language Sentence.
  • It can be a Finite Clause or a Non-Finite Clause.
  • It can range from being Independent Clause (main clause) to being a Dependent Clause (subordinate clause, such as a relative clause).
  • It can have a similar Grammatical Function as a Linguistic Phrase (and thus be difficult to distinguish between the two of them).
  • It can contain element such as: subject, verb, direct object, indirect object, subject predictive, and adverbial.
• Example(s):
  • In the sentence: "[It is frigid], [although the sun is out]."; the main clause is "it is frigid", and "although the sun is out” is a dependent clause.
  • In the sentence: "The rat [the cat chased] ate the cheese." is a case of Center Embedding.
  • An Antecedent Linguistic Clause, on a Conditional Sentence.
  • …
• Counter-Example(s):
  • a Noun Phrase.
  • a Legal Clause.
• See: Sentence, Phrase, Legal Clause, Logic Clause, Verb Phrase, Imperative Mood, Non-Finite Clause.

---

---

References

See: Linguistic Clause, Logic Clause, Legal Clause, Logic Program Clause, Independent Clause.

---

---

References

2023

• https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/clause#Noun
  • QUOTE:
    • (grammar) A verb, its necessary grammatical arguments, and any adjuncts affecting them.
    • (grammar) A verb along with its subject and their modifiers. If a clause provides a complete thought on its own, then it is an independent (superordinate) clause; otherwise, it is (subordinate) dependent.
    • (law) A separate part of a contract, a will or another legal document.

2023

• (Wikipedia, 2023) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clause Retrieved:2023-8-19.
  • In language, a clause is a constituent that comprises a semantic predicand (expressed or not) and a semantic predicate. A typical clause consists of a subject and a syntactic predicate, the latter typically a verb phrase composed of a verb with any objects and other modifiers. However, the subject is sometimes unvoiced if it is retrievable from context, especially in null-subject language but also in other languages, including English instances of the imperative mood.

    A complete simple sentence contains a single clause with a finite verb. Complex sentences contain at least one clause subordinated (dependent) to an independent clause (one that could stand alone as a simple sentence), which may be co-ordinated with other independents with or without dependents. Some dependent clauses are non-finite.

2016

• (Wikipedia, 2016) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentence_clause_structure Retrieved:2016-5-20.
  • In grammar, clause structure refers to the classification of sentences based on the number and kind of clauses in their syntactic structure. Such division is an element of traditional grammar.

    A simple sentence consists of only one clause. A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses. A complex sentence has at least one independent clause plus at least one dependent clause. A set of words with no independent clause may be an incomplete sentence, also called a sentence fragment.

    A sentence consisting of at least one dependent clauses and at least two independent clauses may be called a complex-compound sentence or compound-complex sentence.Sentence 1 is an example of a simple sentence. Sentence 2 is compound because "so" is considered a coordinating conjunction in English, and sentence 3 is complex. Sentence 4 is compound-complex (also known as complex-compound). Example 5 is a sentence fragment.

    1. I like pumpkin pie.
    2. I don't know how to bake, so I buy my sweets.
    3. I enjoyed the apple pie that you bought for me.
    4. The dog lived in the garden, but the cat, who was smarter, lived inside the house.
    5. What an idiot.
  • The simple sentence in example 1 contains one clause. Example two has two clauses (I don't know how to bake and I buy my sweets), combined into a single sentence with the coordinating conjunction so. In example 3, I enjoyed the apple pie is an independent clause, and that you bought for me is a dependent clause; the sentence is thus complex. In sentence 4, The dog lived in the garden and the cat lived inside the house are both independent clauses; who was smarter is a dependent clause. Example 5 features a noun phrase but no verb. It is not a grammatically complete clause.

2012

• http://www-01.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryoflinguisticTerms/WhatIsAClause.htm
  • QUOTE: A clause is a grammatical unit that includes, at minimum, a predicate and an explicit or implied subject, and expresses a proposition.

    The following example sentence contains two clauses:

    • "It is cold, although the sun is shining." The main clause is it is cold and the subordinate clause is although the sun is shining.
  • Here are some kinds of clauses:
    • What is an adverbial clause?
    • What is a coordinate clause?
    • What is an equative clause?
    • What is an existential clause?
    • What is a final clause?
    • What is a finite clause?
    • What is a main clause?
    • What is a marking clause?
    • What is a medial clause?
    • What is a nominal clause?
    • What is a nonfinite clause?
    • What is a reference clause?
    • What is a relative clause?
    • What is a subordinate clause?

---