The Sentence: Dialectics and Metaphysics. Ab terminis inceptas

Abstract

The article deals with some problematic issues in syntax and provides a survey of the syntactic terminological apparatus as there has been no agreement reached so far concerning which terms define the sentence. It is argued that two sets of basic terms have circulated in the Bulgarian science in the period after the Liberation, namely subject and predicate, as well as (logical) subject and (logical) predicate. During the 20th century the morpho-syntactic practice has emphasizes the function performed by the respective parts in the sentence. The role of phrasal (logical) stress is further discussed in determining which is subject and which is predicate. The approach adopted in the study is both linguistic and cultural.