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What Is Grammar?
  
Anthea Tillyer poses a very timely question, "What is Grammar?". Until learners reach this elusive 'advanced' level, the teaching of what we dismissively call 'grammar' is usually restricted to form-manipulation with some general links to meaning. When there is reference to context, grammar teaching usually follows this procedure: A context is described, the forms are presented, and learners are either given the meaning or are guided towards discovering it. Nothing wrong with that technique, but, on its own, it's not enough.
I see 'grammar' as the interaction between three elements in CONTEXT:
FORM: the embodiment of language, the signs/sounds and their
permutations. MEANING: the objects/concepts etc. that the forms denote.
FUNCTION: what we (try to) do by using language. Of course, we need to
'dip' form into context for meaning and function to become concrete.
Form out of context is somehow like Schroeder's cat - it can have a
number of meanings/functions.
---- An example. What does the following question mean? What is it used
to accomplish? -"What do you think?"- Elements of the form (the
interrogative syntax and the word 'think'), as well as the core/literal
meaning of 'think' point towards the function being 'asking for an
opinion'. But without knowing the specific context, we'd be jumping to
conclusions. So let's play. CONTEXT 1. Two friends in a clothes shop.
Friend 1 tries on a jacket and asks Friend 2, "What do you
think?" (=
Does it suit me? Should I buy it?) In this case, it is a genuine
question and its function is to invite a comment. CONTEXT 2. Friend 1
comes into the house soaking wet. Friend 2 asks, "Is it
raining?".
Friend 1 responds, "What do you think?" (= Of course it's
raining). In
this case no opinion is elicited.
I understand 'advanced grammar' as helping learners understand and
manipulate the interplay of these three elements, and the resulting
variations and nuances. One of my favorite techniques is to give de-contextualized sentences/utterances or short texts, and ask learners
(individually or in small groups, according to class size) to come up
with contexts (as in my example), and then compare their ideas. During
the discussion issues of form, meaning and function invariably arise,
which is a great opportunity not only for revision, but also for
investigation of patterns and nuances. (See also:
www.gabrielatos.com/Inference.htm).
Another point I'd like to make is
that this contextualized 'form-meaning-function' approach should be used
from day one.
Costas
Gabrielatos, Lancaster University,
UK
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