16 March 2022

Language Description
Six main stages of development language that have influenced ESP

Pani Noerbayani
(20222009)
R. Rizkiki Azkia Hidayat
(20221006)
 Presentation Outline

01 04
Classical of Traditional Grammar Language Variation and Register
Analysis

02 05
Structural Linguistics Functional/Notional Grammar

03 06
Transformational Generative (TG) Discourse (Rhetorical Analysis)
Grammar
1. Classical of traditional grammar
• Descriptions of English and other languages were based on the
grammars of the classical languages, Greek and Latin.
• Language is described based on the analysis of the role played
by each word in the sentence.
• The influence of classical grammar on ESP has never been
strong.
• Nevertheless, it has continued to provide the teacher with a
useful indirect source of guidance. Thus a knowledge of the
classical description can still deepen our knowledge of how
languages operate.
 2. Structural Linguistics

The structural or “slot and filler" form of language

description emerged as a result of the influence of
language teaching since the Second World War.
In a structural description the grammar of the
language is described in terms of syntagmatic
structures which carry the fundamental propositions An example of an ESP syllabus based on structural
precepts is that used by Ewer and Latorre (1969)
(statement, interrogative, negative, imperative etc.) (minor details omitted) :
and notions (time, number, gender etc.). By varying 1) Simple Present Active
2) Simple Present Passive
the words within these structural frameworks, 3) Simple Present Active and Passive
sentences with different meanings can be generated. 4) -ing forms
5) Present Perfect: Present Continuous
6) Infinitives
A. The substitution table 7) Anomalous Finites
8) Past Perfect: Conditionals
B. Structural syllabus
 3. Transformational Generative (TG) grammar
Chomsky (1957)
Chomsky proposed
Transformational
that there must be
Generative
two levels of
meaning:

Performance
Surface Level (what people do Competence
Deep Level (why people
(Language with the language
(Meaning) enable to to it or
Syntax) or the surface
structure) the deep level)

Example:
John is easy to please.
John is eager to please.
Hymes (1972), proposed that competence consist not just of a set of rules for
formulating grammatically correct sentences, but also knowledge of ‘when to speak,
when not...what to talk about with whom, when, where, in what manner.’

Communicative
TG
Competence
 4. Language Variation and Register analysis
The language variation and register analysis is to define the language
variation of the concerned language, and the ability to vary one’s language
style based on the social context.
Kinds of language variation and register
- Formal or Informal
- Written or spoken
 5. Functional and Notional Grammar
• Functional based on behavior social what writer want to do with the
language and represent the intention of the speaker or writer.
• Notional is real life situations in which people communicate reflect the
way in which the human mind thinks.

A Syllabus is primarily the method of communication based on an analysis

of learners’ social needs.
 6. Discourse (Rhetorical) analysis
Discourse rhetorical analysis is a research method for studying written
or spoken language this is focuses to understand how sentence were
combined in discourse to produce meaning. Therefore, writer was to
identify the organizational patterns in texts and focus on the
communicative aspect of language.
 Conclusion
The various developments which we have describe are not
separate entities. They connect each other and the ESP teacher
needs to recognize that the various approaches because they
are responsible to teach language. In this chapter, the author
also focused on the terms performance and competence which
have been explain before.
Thank you