palaten
see place of articulation
paradigm^1 n paradigmaticadj
a list or pattern showing the forms which a word can have in a grammatical
system. For example, in English:
singular plural
boy boys
boy’s boys’
(of the boy) (of the boys)
Paradigms may be used to show the different forms of a verb. For example,
in French:
singular plural
je parle “I speak” nous parlons “we speak”
tu parles “you speak” vous parlez “you speak”
il parle “he speaks” ils parlent “they speak”
elle parle “she speaks” elles parlent “they speak”
Paradigms typically show a word’s inflections rather than its derivatives
(see derivation).
paradigm^2 n
a term used very widely and loosely to refer to a conceptual framework of
beliefs, theoretical assumptions, accepted research methods, and standards
that define legitimate work in a particular science or discipline. The scientist
Kuhn described the process of change in the sciences as a paradigm shift.
He argued that change in a scientific field does not occur as a step-by-step
cumulative process. Instead, new paradigms emerge as the result of revolutions
in the thinking of a particular professional community. These shifts involve
the adoption of a new outlook or paradigm on the part of members of that
community. A paradigm shift in the physical sciences was the shift from
Newtonian to quantum physics. Paradigm shifts also occur in the social
sciences such as the shift from grammar-based to communicative approaches
in language teaching. theoriesare representative of particular paradigms.
paradigmatic relationsn
alsoparadigmatic relationships
see syntagmatic relations
paragraphn
a unit of organization of written language in many languages, which serves
to indicate how the main ideas in a written text are grouped. Intext
palate