Function word

<h2 id="overview">Overview</h2>
Function words might be <a href="/facts/Preposition/Bhz0tAMI">prepositions</a>, <a href="/facts/Pronoun/UsbSNRSl">pronouns</a>, <a href="/facts/Auxiliary_verb/euozcMq3">auxiliary verbs</a>, <a href="/facts/Grammatical_conjunction/bKVVIpob">conjunctions</a>, <a href="/facts/Article_(grammar)/dLXmIPh1">grammatical articles</a> or <a href="/facts/Grammatical_particle/Da0LIXEc">particles</a>, all of which belong to the group of <a href="/facts/Closed_class_word/WbQ89MHX">closed-class words</a>. <a href="/facts/Interjection/CdhKlzmB">Interjections</a> are sometimes considered function words but they belong to the group of <a href="/facts/Open_class_word/WbQ89MHX">open-class words</a>. Function words might or might not be <a href="/facts/Inflection/mhXSXpmJ">inflected</a> or might have <a href="/facts/Affix/MKeAIE7e">affixes</a>.
Function words belong to the closed class of words in <a href="/facts/Grammar/vprQsHIR">grammar</a> because it is very uncommon to have new function words created in the course of speech. In the open class of words, i.e., nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs, <a href="/facts/Neologism/vlq6w82X">new words</a> may be added readily, such as <a href="/facts/Slang/upCbLgcN">slang</a> words, technical terms, and adoptions and adaptations of foreign words.
Each function word either: gives grammatical information about other words in a sentence or <a href="/facts/Clause/EHKUG2NV">clause</a>, and cannot be isolated from other words; or gives information about the speaker's mental model as to what is being said.
Grammatical words, as a class, can have distinct <a href="/facts/Phonological/qWAsvnok">phonological</a> properties from content words. For example, in some of the <a href="/facts/Khoisan_languages/2G4EF5vM">Khoisan languages</a>, most content words begin with <a href="/facts/Click_consonant/qdv9xIKR">clicks</a>, but very few function words do.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4">4</a> In English, very few words other than function words begin with the <a href="/facts/Pronunciation_of_English_th/G4ucVU0s">voiced th</a> <a href="/facts/Voiced_dental_fricative/MTJup6oV">[ð]</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5">5</a> English function words may be spelled with fewer than <a href="/facts/Three_letter_rule/tvPxRujI">three letters</a>; e.g., 'I', 'an', 'in', while non-function words usually are spelled with three or more (e.g., 'eye', 'Ann', 'inn').
The following is a list of the kind of words considered to be function words with English examples. They are all <a href="/facts/Uninflected_word/UXS8DGyl">uninflected</a> in English unless marked otherwise:

<ul><li><a href="/facts/Article_(grammar)/dLXmIPh1">articles</a> — the and a. In some inflected languages, the articles may take on the case of the <a href="/facts/Declension/SWppkx4X">declension</a> of the following noun.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Pronoun/UsbSNRSl">pronouns</a> — he :: him, she :: her, etc. — inflected in English</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Adposition/Bhz0tAMI">adpositions</a> — in, under, towards, before, of, for, etc.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Conjunction_(grammar)/bKVVIpob">conjunctions</a> — and and but</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Subordinating_conjunctions/bKVVIpob">subordinating conjunctions</a> — if, then, well, however, thus, etc.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Auxiliary_verb/euozcMq3">auxiliary verbs</a> — would, could, should, etc. — inflected in English</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Grammatical_particle/Da0LIXEc">particles</a> — up, on, down</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Interjection/CdhKlzmB">interjections</a> — oh, ah, eh, sometimes called "filled pauses"</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Expletive_(linguistics)/XyxjdN76">expletives</a> — take the place of sentences, among other functions.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Pro-sentence/WhgXs7hM">pro-sentences</a> — <a href="/facts/Yes_and_no/pJkehPxI">yes, no</a>, <a href="/facts/Okay/Sn7mEWCE">okay</a>, etc.</li></ul>
<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Content_word/EV2rqeBx">Content word</a>, words that name objects of reality and their qualities</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Grammaticalization/Ya3HooHm">Grammaticalization</a>, process by which words representing objects and actions transform to become grammatical markers</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Grammatical_relation/VTrrPrVs">Grammatical relation</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="further-reading">Further reading</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Snje%C5%BEana_Kordi%C4%87/CJtCfWCC">Kordić, Snježana</a> (2001). Wörter im Grenzbereich von Lexikon und Grammatik im Serbokroatischen [Serbo-Croatian Words on the Border Between Lexicon and Grammar]. Studies in Slavic Linguistics; 18 (in German). Munich: Lincom Europa. p. 280. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 3-89586-954-6. <a href="/facts/LCCN_(identifier)/5hb5Cw2V">LCCN</a> <a href="https://lccn.loc.gov/2005530313">2005530313</a>. <a href="/facts/OCLC_(identifier)/Yqad8waq">OCLC</a> <a href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/47905097">47905097</a>. <a href="/facts/OL_(identifier)/A13NLNNh">OL</a> <a href="https://openlibrary.org/works/OL2863539W">2863539W</a>. <a href="http://bib.irb.hr/prikazi-rad?&lang=EN&rad=426497">CROSBI 426497</a>. <a href="https://www.webcitation.org/6A80Mj8Bf?url=http://www.snjezana-kordic.de/Summary_Worter.pdf">Summary</a>.</li></ul>
<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>

Look up function word in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

<ul><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160423092214/http://www.viviancook.uk/Words/StructureWordsList.htm">Short list of 225 English function words</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1">Rudolf Carnap, The Logical Syntax of Language, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1937, pp. 13–14. <a href="/wiki/Rudolf_Carnap" target="_blank">/wiki/Rudolf_Carnap</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:2">Klammer, Thomas, Muriel R. Schulz and Angela Della Volpe. (2009). Analyzing English Grammar (6th ed).Longman. <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:3">Fries, Charles Carpenter (1952). The Structure of English. New York: Harcourt Brace. <a href="https://archive.org/details/structureofengli0000frie" target="_blank">https://archive.org/details/structureofengli0000frie</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:4">Westphal, E.O.J. (1971), "The click languages of Southern and Eastern Africa", in Sebeok, T.A. (ed.), Current trends in Linguistics, Vol. 7: Linguistics in Sub-Saharan Africa, Berlin: Mouton <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:5">Kelly, Michael H. (1992). "Using sound to solve syntactic problems: The role of phonology in grammatical category assignments". Psychological Review. 99 (2): 349–364. doi:10.1037/0033-295X.99.2.349. ISSN 1939-1471. <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0033-295X.99.2.349" target="_blank">https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0033-295X.99.2.349</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
</ol>

Function word open-in-new

Function word