Syntax

In linguistics, syntax (from Ancient Greek συν- syn-, “together”, and τάξις táxis, “arrangement”) is the revision of the rules that govern the structure of sentences, and which establish their relative grammaticality. The term syntax can also be used to refer to these rules themselves, as in “the syntax of a language” (e.g. "the syntax of French" or "the syntax of Gaelic"). Modern research in syntax attempts to explain languages in terms of such rules, and, for many practitioners, to find general rules that apply to all languages. Since the field of syntax attempts to explain grammaticality judgments, and not provide them, it is undisturbed with linguistic prescription.