Subordination (grammar)

In Grammar, the subordination is the syntactic relation between two units of different statute (Mot, Syntagme or Phrase), and on which one depends on the other. It will thus be advisable to distinguish: on the one hand “the unit of higher statute” (or core of the syntagm), on the other hand “the subordinate unit” (or satellite of the syntagm), the latter filling a function by report/ratio to that the core.

General information

  • Contrairement to what occurs for the Coordination, subordination always does not accept the permutation between the two units concerned:

Le père of mon voisin.

the unit “ close ” (complement of the name “ father ”) cannot permute with its core (the name “ father ”). Indeed, “ the father of my neighbor ” and “ the neighbor of my father ” do not mean the same thing.

  • the core of a syntagm can be multiple. In this case, one is in the presence of various coordinated cores . In the same way, when several satellites, subordinated to the same core, have same the function with respect to this core, such satellites are necessarily coordinated:

the fripier sells des vêtements and des chapeaux usés or démodés.

the syntagm “ of clothing and the worn or old-fashioned hats ” is subordinated to the verb “ sells ” (more precisely, C.O.D. of the verb “ sells ”). This syntagm has a double core: “ of clothing ” and “ of the hats ”, two nominal groups coordinated by the coordinating conjuction “ and ”. It also has two parallel satellites: “ worn ” and “ obsolete ”, epithet qualifying adjective, coordinated by the coordinating conjuction “ or ”.

Realization of subordination

Subordination can be or not realized by means of a Mot-outil.

  • When subordination is marked by a function word, this last, called subordinating, can consist of a Préposition, a Subordinating conjunction, a Relative pronoun, or, a interrogative Outil or a exclamative Outil:

a boat with moteur.

the unit “ driving ” (complement of the name “ boat ”) is subordinated by means of the preposition “ to ”.

  • When subordination is carried out without any function word , one deals with case of subordination by simple Juxtaposition:

small the livre.

the small qualifying adjective “ ” is subordinated to the name “ delivers ” (more precisely, epithet of the name “ delivers ”).

Various categories concerned with subordination

All Syntagme can be subordinate: nominal syntagm , adjectival, verbal, adverbial or pronominal, each one of them being able to fill a certain number of functions:

I like le song of the rossignol.

the noun phrase “ the song of the nightingale ” has as a function: direct object (C.O.D.) of the verb “ I like ”.

  • When the subordinate element is a verb phrase or a proposal, one simply speaks about Subordinate clause. The functions attached to the subordinate clauses are the same ones as those which the noun or the pronoun can fill:

It is the book which je préfère.

the proposal “ that I prefer ” is subordinated to the name “ delivers ” (more precisely, complement of the antecedent “ delivers ”): one deals in this case, with relative subordinate clause.

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