Structural linguistics is like playing with Lego blocks, but instead of building a castle or a spaceship, we use words and rules to create sentences.
Think of each word as a Lego block with a different shape and color. And just like how we can combine Lego blocks to create something new, we can combine words to make a sentence.
But, we can't just put any random words together. We need to follow certain rules, just like when we build Lego structures. These rules are called grammatical rules, and they help us create sentences that make sense.
For example, let's say we have three Lego blocks: red, blue, and green. We can arrange them in different ways, but only one of them will make sense - "The blue and green blocks are on top of the red block." If we change the order, like "The red and green blocks are on top of the blue block," it won't make sense anymore.
Similarly, in linguistic structures, we have different rules for the order of words, the use of tenses, and the use of pronouns, among others. These rules help us create sentences that are meaningful and understandable to others.
In essence, structural linguistics is the study of the rules and patterns that make up language, just like how the construction of Lego structures follows certain rules and patterns.