Tagmeme — Definition and Structure
April 10, 2025•267 words
Tagmeme — Definition and Structure
Tagmeme is a term from Functional Linguistics (especially in Pikean linguistics) representing the minimal functional unit of syntax. It unites two elements:
- Function — the grammatical role a slot performs (e.g., Subject, Predicate)
- Class — the type of grammatical element that can fill that slot (e.g., NP, VP, AdjP)
Structure of a Tagmeme
A tagmeme is defined as a Function-Class pairing.
Example:
In the sentence:
The dog barked.
| Function | Class (Filler) | Tagmeme Representation |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | Noun Phrase (NP) | Subject → NP |
| Predicate | Verb Phrase (VP) | Predicate → VP |
- Function = syntactic role
- Class = structural category that fills the role
Higher Order Structure
- Tagmeme: A single slot-function within a sentence
- Syntagmeme: A structured sequence of tagmemes forming a syntactic unit (e.g., a clause or sentence)
Comparison with Other "-eme" Units
| -eme Unit | Domain | Definition | "Allo-" Variant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoneme | Phonology | Smallest sound unit | Allophone |
| Morpheme | Morphology | Smallest meaning unit | Allomorph |
| Grapheme | Orthography | Smallest writing unit | Allograph |
| Lexeme | Lexicon | Base unit of vocabulary | — |
| Sememe | Semantics | Smallest semantic unit | — |
| Tagmeme | Syntax | Slot-function syntactic unit | — |
| Chereme | Sign Language | Smallest manual sign unit | — |
| Glosseme | General | Minimal unit of linguistic meaning | — |