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Филология
Вестник Нижегородского университета им. Н.И. Лобачевского, 2017, № 6, с. 190-194
УДК 802.0(076)
HIERARCHY OF THE ENGLISH VERBS AND THE ALGORITHM OF THE PREDICATE SEARCH
© 2017 г. R.I. Kuryaeva
Kazan National Research Technological University, Kazan
rauza-k@rambler.ru
Поступила в редакцию 02.12.2016
Любой язык представляет собой систему, состоящую из определённых элементов. Устойчивые связи и отношения между элементами системы образуют её строение (структуру). В статье анализируется одна из составных частей английского языка - глаголы, когда они формируют сказуемое. Сказуемое является самой сложной частью английской грамматики. Для облегчения изучения английского сказуемого разработана последовательность изучения английских глаголов, которая соответствует их выявленной иерархии, начиная с самого важного глагола английского языка - глагола to be. Далее следуют глагол to have, модальные глаголы и глаголы действия. Для облегчения перевода английского текста разработан алгоритм поиска сказуемого. Данная последовательность лежит в основе учебника, написанного автором статьи. При обучении по данному пособию студенты воспринимают английский язык как более понятный для усвоения.
Ключевые слова: английский язык, английская грамматика, английское сказуемое, иерархия английских глаголов, алгоритм поиска английского сказуемого, последовательность изучения английских глаголов.
The hierarchy of the English verbs
While searching the optimum way of studying English distinct structure of English grammar was found out.
Analysis of English grammar carried out from the point of view of a person with higher technical education corresponds to the philosophical current of the XXth century by the name of structuralism which is closely connected with the development of the humanities cognition. «Before the appearance of philosophical structuralism there appeared the structuralism as the method of scientific analysis which got the name of the structural analysis. The main point of it consists in picking out and analyzing a structure as an aggregate of «latent relationships» between the elements of the whole. The main principle of the structural analysis is «the methodological primacy of relationships upon the elements in the system». Another methodological principle is «the primacy of synchronism upon dia-chronism». The structural analysis supposes distraction from the development of the system, from its interactions and changes at different moments of time (diachronism), it concentrates on studying of internal mechanisms of the static system, on internal interactions of elements existing at one and the same moment of time (synchronism) [1, p. 223-224].
Any language changes with time, it is a developing system. But at the same time it is a stable enough system. Though any language changes as a result of interactions with other languages it keeps
its main elements and interactions between them for centuries. That allows us to identify it among other languages. So the structure of a system is formed by not changing «stable connections and relationships between the elements of the system. In other words system is elements and their structure» [1, p. 366].
In our case we can see that any language is a system. The structure of the English language is shown on the figures and schemes in previous articles [2, œ. 178, 180; 3, a 14] and there we can see the elements of this structure. Some elements of the structure have the same features. Such elements in philosophy are called as classes of material systems or levels of the substance organization. «The structure of a substance can be pictured as a certain hierarchy of these levels» [1, p. 366].
English grammar is in complete agreement with the above description. The previous analysis showed that in the English language it is a predicate that has the most complicated structure. A predicate can be analyzed as a substructure of English grammar. A predicate consists of verbs that can be called as classes or levels of the predicate structure. And the most common element of a predicate is the verb to be. What is it - the verb to be? What does the verb to be present by itself?
We know that with the help of the verb to be we can answer the following questions:
1. Who or what is the subject in this world?
2. What kind of thing is it?
3. Where is it?
From the philosophic point of view the verb to be reflects the existence of some thing, creature or phenomenon in this world. Once this thing, creature or phenomenon exists it has some characteristic features (the second question) and is situated somewhere (the third question). All these questions can be answered with the help of a universal verb to be. With its help we can describe everything in the Universe, which exists independently from a human being. That's why the author of this article calls it a «natural» verb. Thus the verb to be is the main verb of the English language.
The next most common element of the English predicate is the verb to have. What does it present by itself? From the philosophic point of view the verb to have just as the verb to be reflects a natural phenomenon, namely, that every object existing in the Universe possesses some characteristic features. For example: The Earth has an atmosphere., The man has upper and lower extremities., The tree has a trunk and a crown., etc. At present time people instead of the verb to have mainly use the word combination to have got which strictly speaking has a different meaning from the verb to have. The word combination to have got has the meaning of «to reach, to receive, to get». This combination reflects a result of certain efforts towards the achievement of some purpose. For example, if a person speaks about his / her family, he / she may use two variants: 1. «I have a family» and 2. «I have got a family». The first variant must be used when a person speaks about his parents, brothers and sisters whom a person has naturally, independently of him- or herself. The second variant must be used by a person who had made some efforts and had married because marriage is not given by nature independently of a person.
So with the help of «natural» verbs to be and to have we can know what, with its description and where we have it in this world and what features it is characterized by.
From the philosophic point of view when studying nature we are interested in what we can expect from the described object, i. e. we ask questions: «What is this object capable of?», «How high is the probability of fulfilment of this or that action by it?», «What must necessarily occur?» We can see that the next "natural" verbs are modal verbs must, can and may. And in our grammatical analysis we have found out that after the verbs to be and to have there appear modal verbs which can be combined with all the verbs of action.
Modal verbs already appear when we study the simplest form of the verbs of action - the infinitive with the particle to. Then modal verbs combine with the infinitive of the verbs of action without the particle to. Modal verbs are very often used in spo-
ken English. While studying the tense-aspectual forms of the English verb we always see combination of modal verbs with the corresponding complex infinitive. It means that modal verbs follow the verbs to be and to have according to the level of their importance; because of that they must be studied just after the verbs to be and to have and that contradicts common practice. Usually modal verbs just like Participle I and II are studied last.
The level of importance of modal verbs is confirmed by the fixed frequency of their usage. In the English words frequency vocabulary of almost 3 000 words (compiled in Japan) where the frequency of the word usage is shown we can see that the verb form be is on the second place according to the frequency of its usage (the definite article the is on the first place), the verb form have is on the 9th place, the verb form do is on the 25th. And then modal verbs go: would is on the 31st place, will -on the 33rd, can - 39th, could - 54 \ may - 73r , must - 86th, should - 95th. The most frequently used verbs of action are: say - on the 35th place, make -37th, go - on the 50th, take - on the 60th place. There are more verbs of action further. But we can see that modal verbs are among the first 100 most frequently used words.
The modal verb must shows what action occurs in nature without fail. In other words it says that the action we speak about is 100% fulfilled. This is true for nature laws, laws of the state, traffic rules, parent's orders, commands of superior, etc. For example: a change of day and night, of seasons in nature.
The modal verb can expresses ability, it shows what an object is able to do. It expresses 50% probability of fulfilment of action depending on the ability or inability of operating object. For example, a seed is able to sprout in a tree if it is healthy, and it is unable to do it if it is damaged.
The modal verb may as well as the verb can expresses 50% probability of fulfilment of an action. But, unlike the verb can, with the verb may probability of the action depends not on the operating object itself, but on its environment: the nature or people. For example, the birch may grow high and upright in favourable conditions, and it may grow dwarfed and crooked in the inhospitable conditions of the Far North.
So, as «natural» verbs we regard the verbs to be, to have, must, can, may. The equivalents of modal verbs to be to, to have to, ought to, should are more concerned with the world of people, because the verb to be to expresses the planned action, the verb to have to - the compelled action, the verb should -advice, the verb ought to - different degrees of obligation, as well as expressing reproach. All these actions are particular to the animal world and, specifically, apply to people.
Table 2
Table 1
The forms of the verbs in the Present Indefinite Active Tense
to be to have to do to ask to write to study
I am have do ask write study
He
She is has does asks writes studies
It [dAz]
We
You are have do ask write study
They
to be to have MV to do to ask to write to study
I am have N do ask write study
He
She is has must does asks writes studies
It f can [dAz]
We You are have may do ask write study
They J
We know that a little number of modal verbs combine with all the variety of the verbs of action. All the objects of the nature fulfil some action. For example: The Sun shines., A tree grows., A dog barks., etc. But the principal among the verbs of action is the verb to do, which occupies an intermediate position between the modal verbs and the verbs of action. If modal verbs reflect a degree of probability of the action, the verb to do reflects a real action itself.
While explaining tense-aspectual forms of the English verb, we usually use a table. For the Present Indefinite Active Tense it looks like Table 1.
We see there the forms of the main verbs of the English language - to be, to have, to do, and of two regular verbs - to ask, to study (with specific ending -y) and of irregular verb to write in the Present Indefinite Active Tense.
In the full form this table must also contain modal verbs (see Table 2).
We can see from Table 2 that in order to make a general interrogative sentence the verbs of the first three columns are taken out to the beginning of the affirmative sentence. In order to make an interrogative sentence with the verbs of action we use the verb to do at the beginning of the general interrogative sentence. In this case it is called an auxiliary verb. In practice it behaves itself as a modal verb because an emphasizing construction still exists: I do read. Like modal verbs, it forms a question and a negative answer: 1) I must go. - Must I go? - I mustn't go. 2) I can go. - Can I go? -1 can't go. 3) I may go. - May I go? - I may not go. 4) I do go. (emphasizing construction) - Do I go? -1 don't go. The difference is in the fact that the verb to do has two forms, depending on the person and the number: do and does.
All the other verbs never stand at the beginning of the interrogative sentence.
So we have revealed six levels of the English verbs:
1. The verb to be - it reflects the existence of an object in this world.
2. The verb to have - it reflect the characteristic features of the object.
3. The modal verbs must, can, may reflect the level of probability of fulfillment of some action by the object.
4. All the other modal verbs and their equivalents. - They refer more to the world of people and animals.
5. The dual verb to do which on the one hand behaves itself as a modal verb in the interrogative and negative sentences and on the other hand is a usual verb of action.
6. All the other verbs of action.
The enumerated six levels of the English verbs we have arranged according to the level of their importance beginning with the most important and ending with the least important. In such a way we have defined their hierarchy. It means that in full accordance with the conclusions of philosophic science we revealed that the English language is a strictly structured system which has hierarchy of its levels formed by verbs.
The algorithm of the predicate search
While translating from the English language into Russian students usually begin to translate from the first word till the last one in consecutive order. In this case students are not able to translate in a correct way because English words often represent different parts of speech and have different meanings, so students may choose the wrong variant of the word translation for the sentence meaning. The author of this article thinks that translating of a sen-
tence is equal to solving of a mathematical equation with several unknown quantities. That's why the algorithm of the predicate search has been developed. As in the English language the predominating role is played by the predicate, translation of a sentence must begin with search for the predicate. According to the formulas of tense-aspectual forms of the English verb we see that the verb to be is always either a predicate itself or begins some tense-aspectual form. Hence, first it must be found out if there is one of the forms of the verb to be in the sentence, namely, am, is, are, was, were. The subject of the sentence will always precede the verb to be. The found form of the verb to be shows the number (singular or plural) of the subject of the sentence. When the subject is found the student must translate only the subject and the predicate. If the verb to be is the predicate itself then the translation gives the description of the subject or shows where it is situated. If the verb to be is followed by other verbs or participles then the student consults the table of tense-aspectual forms and finds how to translate this particular construction of the predicate. Having translated the subject and the predicate the student translates the other parts of the sentence.
If there is no the verb to be in the sentence then we look for the verb to have but only in two forms: has and had. Just as the forms of the verb to be these forms may be an independent predicate or begin one of the tense-aspectual forms. The form has shows that the preceding subject is in singular and after the predicate there must be an object answering the question: What has the subject? Having found the subject and the predicate the students translates them, the object and then the other parts of the sentence. To translate the sentence with the form had it is more difficult because the number of the subject is not known but in other respects the construction of the sentence is the same. If the verb forms has and had are followed by participles then the student consults the table of tense-aspectual forms and finds how to translate this particular construction of the predicate.
If there are no forms of the verb to be or the forms of the verb to have - has and had then the student must search modal verbs and not the form
have because this form can be preceded by modal verbs and then it will not be an independent predicate. Modal verbs are combined with the infinitive of a verb or of a tense-aspectual form so again first the student finds the predicate then he finds the subject in front of it then he translates these main parts of the sentence and then all the others.
In front of the verb form have there also may be auxiliary verbs shall and will forming the Future Tense hence if there are no modal verbs in the sentence the student must search these verbs shall and will. Having found the predicate he finds the subject and translates the sentence as described above.
On the next stage the verb form have is searched as a predicate.
The last variant of a predicate is a verb of action. It is easier to find it if it has the verb endings -s or -ed. It is more difficult for a student to find it if it is an irregular verb in the Past Tense. The most difficult variant when the verb of action is in the Present Tense and in plural.
So the algorithm of search of the predicate looks as follows:
1. to be - am, is, are, was, was, were.
2. to have - has, had.
3. Modal verbs - must, should, would, can, could, may, might.
4. Indicators of the Future Tense - shall, will.
5. to have - have.
6. All the other verbs that may have endings -s, -es (in the Present Tense), -ed (in the Past Tense for regular verbs), including irregular verbs in the Past Tense.
We suppose that this algorithm may be also used for computerized translating.
Список литературы
1. Введение в философию: Учеб. пособие для высших учеб. заведений. М.: Республика, 2005. 624 с.
2. Kuriaeva R. I. The Principle of Inherent Complication of the English Predicate // Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities and Social Sciences. 2015. 8 (11). Р. 2499-2504.
3. Kuryaeva R. The optimum way of teaching English. Lambert Academic Publishing, 2014. Р. 69.
HIERARCHY OF ENGLISH VERBS AND THE ALGORITHM OF THE PREDICATE SEARCH
R.I. Kuryaeva
Any language is a system consisting of some elements. Stable connections and relations between the elements of the system form its structure. In this article, we analyze verbs, one of the main parts of the English language, at the moment when they act as a predicate. The predicate is the most complicated part of English grammar. In order to facilitate the study of the English predicate, a particular sequence of studying English verbs has been developed. It corresponds to the revealed hierarchy of the English verbs beginning with the most important verb - to be, which is followed by the verb to have, then modal verbs and finally the verbs of action. To make the task of translating an English text easier, an algorithm of the predicate search is offered. The proposed sequence is the basis for the manual written by this article's author, which is intended to make English an easier language to learn and understand for the students.
Keywords: English language, English grammar, English predicate, hierarchy of English verbs, algorithm of the English predicate search, sequence of studying English verbs.
References
1. Vvedenie v filosofiyu: Ucheb. posobie dlya vys-shih ucheb. zavedenij. M.: Respublika, 2005. 624 s.
2. Kuriaeva R.I. The Principle of Inherent Complica-
tion of the English Predicate // Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities and Social Sciences. 2015. 8 (11). Р. 2499-2504.
3. Kuryaeva R. The optimum way of teaching English. Lambert Academic Publishing, 2014. Р. 69.
