Degrammatize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To remove or reduce grammatical structure from language, text, or speech; to simplify syntax by eliminating formal rules; to render communication less bound by conventional grammar norms
2. The process of stripping away grammatical features to create a less structured or more flexible linguistic expression; to alter sentences to forgo established grammatical forms; to transform language into a more spontaneous or informal style
3. To modify expressions by erasing grammatical constraints, resulting in altered or simplified sentence constructions; to detach language from standard grammar for creative or practical purposes; to break down or bypass the rules governing syntax and morphology

Etymology: "Degrammatize" is a plain formation: the prefix "de-", meaning "removal of" or "reversal of", attached to "grammaticalize," a term from linguistics. "Grammaticalize" itself describes the process by which a word with concrete meaning gradually takes on a grammatical role, as when the Latin noun "mente" ("mind") wore down into the adverbial ending "-ment" in French. Reversing that process, the prefix "de-" suggests a word or element losing its grammatical function and reverting toward a fuller lexical sense. The term is a synonym of "degrammaticalize," and the two are used interchangeably in discussions of language change. Its forms follow the usual English pattern for turning a process into a verb, so readers who know "grammaticalize" will understand it at once.

Synonyms: simplify grammar, reduce grammar

Antonyms: grammatize, formalize grammar