English Syntax

Arguments against traditional prescriptive grammar teaching L1 grammar is acquired without explicit instruction or corrective feedback Students have difficulty learning and retaining concepts from traditional grammar “There is no relationship between grammar study and writing” (Krashen) “The teaching of formal grammar has a negligible or…even a harmful effect on the improvements of writing” (NCTE) So why do we still teach grammar?

Some arguments in favor of teaching grammar (from Larsen-Freeman) –Canadian French immersion programs – limited accuracy in French syntax and morphology –Less salient grammatical features or those not crucial for comprehension are not acquired –Self-reinforcing nature of peer interlanguage *”me llamo es” –Form-focused instruction converts “input” to “intake” –Destabilize an incorrect rule

Descriptive grammar Deep structure vs. surface structure –Structural ambiguity –Different structures of the same sentence Order of words Word categories Grouping of words - constituents –Optional and obligatory constituents: NP  (DET)-(Q)-(ADJP)- N-(PP) –Recursivity: output feeds input: Potentially infinite sentences Function of words/groups –[PP] – ADJ or A; [NP] – DO or IO Dependency relationships Hierarchical structure: tree diagrams

Compound and complex sentences – relationship between parts of sentences Writers begin with simple, then compound sentences and later learn to subordinate ideas Subordinate clauses function as A, ADJ, N –A: “after, because, if” (describe when, where, why, how) –ADJ: “who, which, that” (follow N; restrictive/nonrestrictive) –N: “what, whatever, that” Shortening complex sentences doesn’t make reading easier (?) Sentence combining activities

Reading Word recognition view: –use semantic/ context clues to determine word meaning Sociopsycholinguistic view: –use syntax as a cueing system to predict patterns A phev was larzing two sleks –Make predictions based on word function Go followed by locative (where) –Cloze activities

Second language teaching: Audiolingual method Behaviorist view Patterned response drill Focus on specific grammar point Inductive: learn structures through drills, not explicit instruction of rules Immediate error correction Focus on form over meaning

Second language teaching: Content-based methods Language through content ESL: academic reading challenges –Passive – de-emphasize the subject –Comparatives and logical connectors (if…then; not only…but also) – separated from each other –Modals – indicate subtle differences in meaning –VP with PP – additional information –Relative clauses – additional information (p. 239 vs. p. 247)