Paradigmatics

(1) A division of linguistics that, in contrast to syntagmatics, studies paradigmatic relationships and the classes of elements in these relationships. This contrast is frequently equated with the contrast of a system of language to what actually occurs in speech.

(2) The study of the composition and structure of different types of paradigms, the classification of these paradigms, and the way they combine to form more complex units.

(3) The part of grammar that studies the paradigmatic combinations occurring in language and the principles of their organization. In morphology, paradigmatics deals with the paradigms of inflected parts of speech or categories of inflected parts of speech. The paradigmatics of a strong verb, for example, shows all the forms of the verb and takes into account the way they organize to form complete or partial paradigms. Paradigmatics is frequently a synonym for inflection and the derivation of word forms (formoobrazovanie). In syntax, paradigmatics deals with the systems of forms in a sentence or phrase—syntactic Parádigms.