Zero (linguistics)
Encyclopedia
A zero, in linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....

, is a constituent needed in an analysis but not realized in speech. This implies that there is a lack of an element where a theory would expect one. It is usually written with the symbol "", in Unicode .

There are several kind of zeros.
  • A zero morph, consisting of no phonetic form, is an allomorph
    Allomorph
    In linguistics, an allomorph is a variant form of a morpheme. The concept occurs when a unit of meaning can vary in sound without changing meaning. The term allomorph explains the comprehension of phonological variations for specific morphemes....

     of a morpheme
    Morpheme
    In linguistics, a morpheme is the smallest semantically meaningful unit in a language. The field of study dedicated to morphemes is called morphology. A morpheme is not identical to a word, and the principal difference between the two is that a morpheme may or may not stand alone, whereas a word,...

     that is otherwise realized in speech. In the phrase two sheep-, the plural marker is a zero morph, which is an allomorph of -s as in two cows. In the phrase I like- it, the verb conjugation
    Grammatical conjugation
    In linguistics, conjugation is the creation of derived forms of a verb from its principal parts by inflection . Conjugation may be affected by person, number, gender, tense, aspect, mood, voice, or other grammatical categories...

     has a zero affix, as opposed to the third-person singular present -s in he likes it.
  • A zero pronoun
    Pronoun
    In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun is a pro-form that substitutes for a noun , such as, in English, the words it and he...

     occurs in some languages. In the English sentence nobody knows the zero pronoun plays the role of the object of the verb, and in makes no difference it plays the role of the subject. Likewise, the zero pronoun in the book I am reading plays the role of the relative pronoun that in the book that I am reading. This is also referred to as PRO
    PRO (linguistics)
    PRO is an empty category whose existence is postulated in classical Government and Binding Theory. There are two independent pieces of evidence for its existence: the Extended Projection Principle and theta criterion :*I persuaded John [PRO to read Al Gore's latest...

    . In pronoun-dropping languages, including null subject language
    Null subject language
    In linguistic typology, a null-subject language is a language whose grammar permits an independent clause to lack an explicit subject. Such a clause is then said to have a null subject. Typically, null subject languages express person, number, and/or gender agreement with the referent on the verb,...

    s such as most Romance languages
    Romance languages
    The Romance languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family, more precisely of the Italic languages subfamily, comprising all the languages that descend from Vulgar Latin, the language of ancient Rome...

    , the zero pronoun is a prominent feature.
  • A zero subordinate conjunction occurs in English in sentences like I know he likes me, in which the zero conjunction plays the role of the subordinate conjunction "that" in I know that he likes me.
  • A zero article is an unrealized indefinite or definite article
    Definite Article
    Definite Article is the title of British comedian Eddie Izzard's 1996 performance released on VHS. It was recorded on different nights at the Shaftesbury Theatre...

     in some languages.
  • A zero copula
    Zero copula
    Zero copula is a linguistic phenomenon whereby the subject is joined to the predicate without overt marking of this relationship...

    , in which a copula such as the verb to be is implied but absent. For example, in Russian
    Russian language
    Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...

     the copula is usually omitted in the present tense
    Present tense
    The present tense is a grammatical tense that locates a situation or event in present time. This linguistic definition refers to a concept that indicates a feature of the meaning of a verb...

    , as in "Она красивая" (literally: She beautiful). In English the copula is sometimes omitted in some nonstandard dialect
    Nonstandard dialect
    A nonstandard dialect is a dialect that does not have the institutional support or sanction that a standardized dialect has.Like any dialect, a nonstandard dialect has its own vocabulary and an internally consistent grammar and syntax; and it may be spoken using a variety of accents. Describing a...

    s.

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