The problem of this study was to address the question of the relationships between linguistic principles and film surface-structure. The analysis of motion pictures traditionally has been an analysis of films as art. At the same time, the techniques and effects of film often have been referred to as the "language of film." Until recently, however, no one took seriously the linguistic implications of the phrase. The theoretical evidence for linguistics of film is controversial but growing in acceptance and maturity of the concept. The study began with the assumption that film is a language. The method bypassed much of …
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The problem of this study was to address the question of the relationships between linguistic principles and film surface-structure. The analysis of motion pictures traditionally has been an analysis of films as art. At the same time, the techniques and effects of film often have been referred to as the "language of film." Until recently, however, no one took seriously the linguistic implications of the phrase. The theoretical evidence for linguistics of film is controversial but growing in acceptance and maturity of the concept. The study began with the assumption that film is a language. The method bypassed much of the philosophical discussion of whether film is a language in favor of finding the theory's practical usefulness. The findings produced some clues to the linguistic structure of particular films which may relate to film as a whole. The analysis clearly demonstrated the presence of visual rules of grammar. The findings not only supported a linguistic view of film but also generated structures that resembled accepted linguistic form. The basic units of analysis were found to have unit integrity, class form qualities, limitations on their employment, and a hierarchical relationship to other larger units. The analysis also pointed out some visually ungrammatical structures.
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