Parts of language

Language in general includes: the Letter (an indivisible sound capable of forming part of a group of sounds — not every indivisible sound, only those usable in combination), the Syllable (a non-significant sound composed of a mute and a vowel), the Connecting word (a non-significant sound that enables the union of significant sounds), the Noun (a composite significant sound without temporal marking), the Verb (a composite significant sound with temporal marking), the Inflexion (the modification of noun or verb for case, number, or mode of delivery), and the Sentence or Phrase (a composite significant sound of which some parts are themselves significant).

Letters divide into vowels (audible alone), semivowels (audible only with another sound), and mutes (not audible alone, requiring a vowel to become audible). The investigation of specific differences among letters — how the tongue, lips, and breath are used — belongs to metrics and phonology rather than to poetics. Syllables are non-significant and combine a mute with a vowel. Connecting words neither cause nor hinder the union of significant sounds; they can appear at either end or in the middle of a sentence. A noun is significant but does not mark time — "man" or "white" says nothing about when.

A verb marks time: "he walks" implies a present moment, "he walked" a past. Inflexion belongs both to nouns and verbs and marks relations (cases in nouns), number (singular/plural), and mode. A sentence is the final unit: a composite significant sound whose parts are at least partly significant. A definition of man (a rational animal) consists of significant parts, even if it is not built from verbs and nouns. This grammatical taxonomy underpins the analysis of diction that follows in the next two chapters.