Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. Jamshid Ibrahim  Maybe Bianca but I am afraid visual/audible aspect in language is misleading. As far as grammar is concerned students often say: "I look forward to meet you" sounds more natural and in harmony to them than the correct gerund usage. But it is wrong. |
Not quite. I am speaking about synonymy here. What I mean is that, both form and phonological aspects (such as rhythmic patterns) of words can be assigned semantic properties. This is, in part, what synonyms are about.
The mistake in "looking forward to meet" is understandable - in relation to the syntax and phonopogy of one's mother tongue, for instance. Also, I believe this is a matter of language learning and motivation. Once they've "heard" the right "form", they'll remember it easier.
There are linguists who regard the
's' and
'of' genitive as more or less semantically distinct constructions.