General Characterization of Notional Words

There should be 2 main criteria which are essential for distinguishing lexico-grammatical classes of notional words and their corresponding characterization: semantic and grammatical.

The semantic characterization of notional words requires the consideration of their semantics. The semantic basis for distinguishing lexico-grammatical word-classes is grounded on the categorical significative meaning inherent in the semantics of all the units of the class. The nomination of concrete objects, phenomena, qualities or actions is made on the basis and in accord with the invariant significative semantic features of the class. In other words, every denotator possesses, at a time, 2 distinguishing semantic features: the categorical significative meaning and the individual denotative meaning.

The semantic bases of the main lexico-grammatical classes of notional words are represented by Substantivity, Qualitativeness, Quantitativeness, Verbality and Adverbiality.

In analytical languages, the semantic criterion for the classification of notional words is justly given preference to because the words lack morphological characteristics.

Grammatical charactetistics are of morphological and syntactical types.

The notional words in English, which is analytical in order, are not morphologically formed up (except the verb). Their morphological characteristics are not differentially significant. The morphological characterization of notional words is their paradigmatic definition. The paradigms of words, the system of thei grammatical forms, can be of synthetic type if synthetic devices prevail and of analytical type in case analytical word forms are numerous in the paradigm and dominate over the synthetic ones. The paradigm of English nouns is synthetical: worker, workers, worker's, workers'. There are synthetical devices in the form-derivation of the verbs but their paradigms contain more analytical markers than synthetical ones. On this ground the verb-paradigm in English must be defined as analytical in type.

The lexico-grammatical classes of notional words in English are likely to be defined as lexico-syntactical groupings.The syntactical characterization of notional words must be made with regard to their functional significance in the frame of the sentence and in accordance with their combinability in particular contextual conditions.

The functions of the N-words are in accord with their significative meaning of substantivity. They usually occur as subjects or nominal object complements. The function of the A-words is predetermined by their qualitative semantics. They function as either attributive modifiers of different types or as qualitative predicate compounds. The main function of the verb is that of a predicate. Non-finite verbs are dependent elements. Due to their twofold nature the non-finites can occur in the positions of their nominal or adjectival correlatives. The Infinitive which preserves its nominal features can be used in different nounal functions. Its verbal features in such cases reveal minimally. The Particple in Modern English possesses stronger adjectival characteristics than those of the verb. The participle forms more regularly occur in the positions of qualitative elements and function as attributive modifiers. The Gerund is very much nounal in its syntactical functioning but it retains its verbal features in any case of its occurrence: the subject, the object, the predicate ot the attribute.

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