Abstract

Semasiology traditionally plays key role in grammar descriptions. Its monopoly is given by the fact that the meaning (function) of grammar categories and phenomena is (in general) clear to native speakers. The Czechs find it usually hard to learn codified forms of standard Czech. Another factor is that grammar forms seem to be unequivocal, concrete and easy to grasp and describe from semasiological perspective. The onomasiological approach seems to be very inspiring. It is based on the common elements (meanings, contents, communication functions of an utterance) as well as distinctive elements (various morphosyntactic forms) of individual languages. It describes competitive forms of expressing a certain grammar meaning or function. From the perspective of teaching languages, it is advisable to proceed from the features that languages have in common to the distinctive features of individual languages. The presentation of competitive way of expressing a certain meaning or communication function of un utterance belongs to obvious advantages of the onomasiological approach to grammar. The preparation of an onomasiological description of grammar categories and phenomena is highly demanding because they are not equally suitable for such description. It is easier to describe grammar categories and phenomana that have real ground in objective reality (place, time, possession, quantity, causality, etc.). In the opposite case, this can be complicated (e. g. semantic-poor system of Czech cases). In case of a highly inflective language, such as Czech, this approach is, however, complicated. The text addresses universal semantic fields (their nature and number) and focuses on the character and structure of the unit describing prepositional phrases with referring to locations (ADV Loc).

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