3 Operational structures
The coupled operations give rise to three static structures: the
derivative coupled states, the initial or both derivative and initial
ones. Formed directly from the operations, the coupled states constituteprimary operational structures . Operational structures endow
information units with characteristics that correlate with the semantics
of word classes. The two largest primary structures correlate with the
parameters of objects and processes.
If all the states forming the operations (that is, the structure of both
initial and derivative states) are used with an information unit, they
characterize it as the information of a verb (any verb: action verbs,
stative, physical, mental, modal, linking or others with respective
denotata, which we will call process anyway) and correspond to the
parameters of real processes. The parameters of phenomena perceived as
process characterize it by a duration including previous moments
provided that each previous moment is substituted by a following one.
Now, let us analyze the properties of the operational structure so
formed.
This structure can be represented as follows:
(2) e 0q 0,
EQ ,
(q 0<Q )(e 0→E )
(the symbol < means the relation ʻis includedʼ, and → means
the relation ʻis substitutedʼ). In (2), each of the elective states in
coupling with the respective quantitative state corresponds to a
succeeding moment of the lasting process: The substituted state
corresponds to a preceding moment and the substituting one corresponds
to a following moment. The quantitative states in coupling with the
elective states correspond to an included quantity of time – duration.
Both initial and derivative states form a structure of coupled
sequences, which represents an inclusion corresponding to an extended
duration and a substitution that corresponds to a sequence of moments.
So, the coupling quantitative and elective states sequences corresponds
to the double-natured character of verb information
(vi ), which recognizes the temporal process as
duration and as a sequence of moments.
If only the derivative states are used with an information unit, they
characterize it as the information of a noun (spatial or temporal,
concrete or abstract, common or proper, denoting objects or matter,
which we will call object anyway) and correspond to the parameters of
spatial objects. One can identify a spatial object only by separating it
with a boundary from another object or space environment (see the
example of a spatial object, section 2). The identified object can be of
any form but implies some internal content, a quantity even if the
object itself is an extended boundary (for instance, a boundary of light
and shadow). The noun information (ni )
structure can be represented as follows:
(3) EQ ,
Q > (q 0),
where EQ are coupled derivative states; the symbol >
means the relation ʻincludesʼ and implies an included non-coupled stateq 0.
If the initial states are used with an information unit, they
characterize it as the information of an interjection
(inti ). Coupling initial states leaves the
operational structure incomplete due to lack of derivative states.
Therefore, they leave the word meaning structurally indeterminate, thus
hindering it from entering into relations with the structures of other
word meanings, so that the interjection cannot independently fulfill itsown syntactic function in the sentence. The result could be that
the interjection either does not enter in the sentence
structure11See, for instance, Wharton (2003: 3): “These views
can still be found in the contemporary literature: Quirk, Greenbaum et
al. describe interjections as ʻpurely emotive words which do not enter
into syntactic relationsʼ; Trask describes an interjection as ʻa
lexical item or phrase which serves to express emotion and which
typically fails to enter into any syntactic structures at
allʼ…”. and becomes tantamount to a proposal content, or is
contained within a larger predicative structure22See, for
example Шведова (1957). or assumes a function resulting from the
sentence structure33See, for example Германович (1941).. Theinti structure can be represented as follows:
(4) e 0q 0.
The structure of initial states does not correlate with realities of the
external world. It characterizes the result of interlocutor’s perceiving
its internal information which represents expressible mental
information: Any verbalized information, if its mental-linguistic
processing has been performed, serves to express certain content
(whether it is feelings, emotions, sensations, states of mind or a
formed thought).
So, there are three primary structures (cited in 2011a, 2011b) to
characterize word class information. A relationship between operational
structures is carried out under the following conditions. An asymmetric
relationship between quantitative states (< or >)
is set when a symmetric relation is implemented between elective states,
namely, when an elective state is unified with another:E 1 ⊥ E 2. And an asymmetric
relationship between elective states (→ or ←) is set when a symmetric
relation is implemented between quantitative states, namely, when a
quantitative state is equivalent to another:Q 1 = Q 2 (the term
“equivalent” and the symbol = just mean that there is no inclusion
between two states). The method we use in our approach consists
in detecting elective and quantitative relations which exist between the
operational structures of information units to find out how they
interact and thereby participate in forming resulting sentence
information.
Thus, operational structures allow revealing the links between
information units which remain unnoticed by other methods and which, as
we will show further, form complex operational structures underlying
sentence grammar. The formation of complex operational structures is
provided by six relations (4 asymmetric and 2 symmetric ones) between
the states of simpler structures.