taxeme
/ˈtæksiːm/
noun
- A basic unit of grammatical arrangement, such as word order or intonation, that carries meaning in a language.
- In English, word order is a taxeme that shows whether a noun is the subject or object.
- The linguist studied how a change in intonation acts as a taxeme in questions.
- A taxeme like stress can change the meaning of a word from noun to verb.