LANGUAGE DESCRIPTIONS

LANGUAGE DESCRIPTIONS
 CLASSICAL/TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR
 STRUCTURAL LINGUISTICS
 TRANSFORMATIONAL GRAMMAR
 LANGUAGE VARIATIONS & REGISTER
ANALYSIS
 FUNCTIONAL/NOTIONAL SYLLABUS
 DISCOURSE/RHETORICAL ANALYSIS
1. CLASSICAL/TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR
 Description of English and other languages were
based on the grammars of the classical languages:
Greek and latin.
 This description were based on an analysis of the
role played by each word in the sentence.
 Languages were described in this way because the
classical L were case-based L where the
grammatical function of each word in the sentence
was made apparent by the use of appropriate
inflections
Continued............

 Thus, the form of a word would change

according to whether it was a subject,
object, indirect object, and so on.
 The influence of classical Grammar has
never been STRONG.
 2. Structural Linguistics
 The structural or “Slot” and “filler” form L
description will be familiar to most L teachers as
result of the enormous influence it has had on L
teaching since the second world war.
 In a structural description, the grammar of L is
described in terms of SYNTAGMATICS structures
which carry the fundamental propositions
(Statement, interrogative, negative, imperative)
and notions (Time, number, gender etc)
 3. Transformational Generative
Grammar
 Chomsky argued in “Syntactic Structure” that
structural description was superficial because it only
described the surface structure of the L and thus
could not explain relationship of meaning which were
quite clearly there. But which were not realized in the
surface structure.
 In the early stages of its Development, ESP put most
emphasis on describing the performance needed for
communication in the target situation and paid little
attention to the Competence underlying it
 4. Language Variation &
Register Analysis
 The concept of L variation gave rise to
the type of ESP which was based on
register analysis. If L varies according
to text, it was argued, then it should be
possible to identify the kind of L
associated with a specific context such
as an area of knowledge (Legal Eng,
Social Eng, Medical Eng, Business Eng)
 5. Functional/notional
Grammar
 Function are concerned with social
behavior and represent the intention of
the speaker/writer e.g. Advising,
warning, threatening, describing
 Function = Structure + context
 Notion reflects the ways in which the
human being mind thinks.
 6. Discourse Analysis
 It emphasize on how meaning is generated
between sentences
 The context is important in creating meaning
 The change of meaning is influenced by
Sociolinguistic context: Who is speaking to whom
and why. The meaning changes according
to the relationship between the
participants in the dialogue and according
to their reason for speaking