Grammar

• When it comes to definitions of grammar, confusion abounds. One

problem is that the word ‘grammar’ means different things to different
people. For many, the term suggests a list of do’s and don’ts
• Prescriptive Grammar:
• Grammars with rules that make distinctions between correct and
incorrect forms are defined as ‘prescriptive’ grammars. They tell us how
we ought to speak, and how we ought not to speak,. This approach
codifies certain distinctions between standard and non-standard varieties,
and often makes overt value judgements by referring to the standard
varieties as correct, or ‘good’, English and the non-standard as incorrect,
or ‘bad’,
DESCRIPTIVE Grammar
• How native speakers actually speak
• It does not tell how people should speak
• It includes syntax,morphology,phonetics,phonology,semantics and
lexis
• It does not usec the terms correct or incorrect
• It uses terms grammatical and ungrammatical
Pedagogical grammar
• For Applied linguistics ,focus is on pedagogical grammar.
• Designed for the needs of second language learners and teachers.
• Resembles more with descriptive grammar than prescriptive one.
• Includes various approaches and styles.
• Depends on formal and functional grammar, corpus linguistics,
pragmatics, discourse analysis.
• Focuses on the concept that students should produce grammatically
correct sentences as well as they should be able to use words
meaningfully and appropriately
Which rules to describe in grammar
• The basic concept is that the things that are needed by learners should
be included in grammar.
• Grammar must include rules that are constant and that do show
variations.
• Grammar must deal with standard as well as non standard varieties of
language
• Grammar must include formal as well as informal language.
• Pedagogical grammars may be designed on the basis of formal
grammar or functional grammar.But question is which approach is
correct?
Formal Grammar
• Concerned with forms or grammatical categories and their
relationship to one another rather than their meanings or usage in
different contexts.
• Describes structures of sentences
• Focus is on morphology and syntax
Functional grammar
• Focus is on the appropriate use of language.
• emphasis is on sociolinguistics and pragmatics.
• It sees language as a system of communication.
• It does not focus on grammatical or ungramnmatical forms,rather
focus is on the communicative purposes in a particular context.
• It also includes the knowledge of grammar as well as the ability to use
language in various contexts.
• In Applied linguistics ,we see that these two approaches are used in
different grammars.
• Some grammars are based on formal approach ,some are based on
communicative approach and some others have the combination of
both.
• Newer linguistic theories attempt to combine both form and
meaning..means formal and functional approach.
• In pedagogical grammars,we should combine these approaches and
adopt three prong approach,that is combination of syntax,semantics
and pragmatics.Actually it focuses on form,meaning and use.
Learning Grammar
• Different theories for how grammar is learnt.
• During the middle of 20th century it was thought that grammar is
learnt through habit formation.it involves pattern practices and drills.
• After it was thought that grammar was learnt with rule
formation.Here students were given examples and from those
examples students take out rules.
• After it was though t that students can best learn grammar if their
attention is not on grammar.But some others felt that attention to
grammar was essential.
• Research in SLA shows that grammar is not learnt in linear fashion..or in
sequence.And grammatical structures must be used in real life
contexts.It mrans grammar must be used in real life
conversation,outside the class room.
• Another research shows that grammar learning is facilitated by
frequency of use of forms.It means students should use grammatical
structures frequently in their conversation.
• Grammar has three dimensions: form,meaning and use.Learners must
know different grammatical categories like noun,verb,adjectives,adverbs
etc but they must know about practical use of these structures.
• Learners know what is present indefinite tense but they must know
exceptions related to it and how it can be used differently in different
situations.
• E.g 1: Ten miles makes a long walk
• 2: Slow and steady wins the race
• Here “s” is used with plural that is not according to the formal
approach to grammar. But these two sentences are quite correct and
are used in our daily lives
Teaching Grammar
• For effective teaching of grammar ,learners must know what they are
going to learn.They must notice the forms and structure they are
going to learn.Learning must be explicit.
• Peer interaction is also very beneficial in teaching grammar.Learners
must be given data and they should discover rules from the given
data.
• Learners must be guided tom pay attention to the aspects that are
different from their mother tongue.
• Practice is also key to success in learnig grammar.students must use
grammatical structure in their daily lives
• Feedback is also necessary part of grammar instructions.Students
should be encouraged to speak and make errors.teacher can spot
these errors ang give time to the learner to focus on incorrect
structure and rectify it .
• Learners do not master grammatical structures one after another in a
sequence .learning a language is an organic process.It takes many
things together.so spiral syllabus is more appropriate where particular
structures are repeated from time to time .Teacher may prepare the
list of structures to be included in syllabus but there should be no
sequence .