y the role of inter-positional elements, determining the relations of notional words to one another. Here belong prepositions and conjunctions. The words of the third set refer to the sentence as a whole. Such are question-words {what, how, etc.), Inducement-words (lets, please, etc.), Attention-getting words, words of affirmation and negation, sentence introducers (it, there) and some others.
Comparing the syntactico-distributional classification of words with the traditional part of speech division of words, one cannot but see the similarity of the general schemes of the two: the opposition of notional and functional words, the four absolutely cardinal classes of notional words (since numerals and pronouns have no positional functions of their own and serve as pro-nounal and pro-adjectival elements), the interpretation of functional words as syntactic mediators and their formal representation by the list.
However, under these unquestionable traits of similarity are distinctly revealed essential features of difference, the proper evaluation of which allows us to make some important generalisations about the structure of the lexemic system of language.
One of the major truths as regards the linguistic mechanism arising from the comparison of the two classifications is the explicit and unconditional division of the lexicon into the notional and functional parts. The open character of the notional part of the lexicon and the closed character of the functional part of it (not excluding the intermediary field between the two) receives the strict status of a formal grammatical feature. p align="justify"> The unity of notional lexemes finds its essential demonstration in an inter-class system of derivation that can be presented as a formal four-stage series permeating the lexicon and reflected in regular phrase correlations. Cf.: p align="justify"> a recognising note - a notable recognition - to note recognisingly - to recognise notably; silent disapproval - disapproving silence - to disapprove silently - to silence disapprovingly; etc.
This series can symbolically be designated by the formula St (nvad) where St represents the morphemic stem of the series, while the small letters in parentheses stand for the derivational features of the notional word-classes (parts of speech). Each stage of the series can in principle be filled in by a number of lexemes of the same stem with possible hierarchical relations between them. The primary presentation of the series, however, may be realised in a four-unit version as follows:
strength - to strengthen - strong - strongly peace - to appease - peaceful - peacefully nation - to nationalise - national - nationally friend - to befriend - friendly - friendly, etc.
This derivational series that unites the notional word-classes can be named the "lexical paradigm of nomination". The general order of classes in the series evidently corresponds to the logic of mental perception of reality, by which a person discriminates, first, objects and their actions, then the properties of the former and the latter. Still, as the actual initial form of a particular nomination paradigm within the general paradigmatic scheme of nomination can prove a lexeme of any word-class, we are enabled to speak about the concrete "derivational perspective" of this or that series, i. e. to identify nomination paradigms with a nounal (NV), verbal (V?), adjectival (A?), and adverbial (D?) derivational perspectives. Cf.: p align="justify"> N? power - to empower - powerful - powerfully
V? to suppose-supposition - supposed - supposedly
A? clear - clarity - to clarify - clearly
D? out - outing - to out - outer
The nomination paradigm with the identical form of the stem for all the four stages is not represented on the whole of the lexicon; in this sense it is possible to speak of lexemes with a complete paradigm of nomination and lexemes with an incomplete paradigm of nomination. Some words may even stand apart from this paradigm, ie be nominatively isolated (here belong, for instance, some simple adverbs).
On the other hand, the universal character of the nomination paradigm is sustained by suppletive completion, both lexemic and phrasemic. Cf.: p align="justify"> an end - to end final - finally
good - goodness well - to better
evidence - evident - evidently to make evident
wise - wisely - wisdom to grow wise, etc. ...
