Chapter 3-Grammar

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CHAPTER Grammar
LEARNING OUTCOME
Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to:
1. differentiate between prescriptive and descriptive grammar;
2. evaluate descriptive grammar; and
3. discuss the linguistic idea on speech and writing;
ELL322 LINGUISTICS FOR LANGUAGE TEACHER

………………………………… Grammar CHAPTER 3
INTRODUCTION
What do we refer to when we discuss grammar? The speech sounds of language and its
sound patterns, the basic units of meaning such as words, and the rules that combine them
to make sentences make up the grammar of a language. The grammar that we know of a
language is the linguistic competence that we have of the language. This unconscious set of
rules that we internalise is part of every grammar of every language.
3.1 WHEN YOU KNOW A LANGUAGE
When one knows a language, it does not mean that one has the ability to use the language.
According to linguists, when one knows a language it means that he has linguistic competence of
the language. The linguistic competence is the unconscious knowledge of the rules of a language.
Linguistic competence is different from linguistic performance, which is one’s actual speech
behaviour. One’s performance in using a language can reflect one’s competence.
3.2 OUR PERCEPTION OF GRAMMAR
To many of us, grammar would refer to the rules of language, for instance, when we use
English, we must use the ‘correct’ rule for tenses or subject-verb-agreement. The pronoun
‘she’ should not be used with the verb ‘are’ and verbs indicating simple present tense should
not be used for past actions.
Such thoughts are the result of the grammar that we have been learning in schools. The
rules that we are referring to are called the prescriptive rules. In contrast, when linguists
speak of rules, they try to formulate descriptive rules when analysing language.
3.3 PRESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR
Prescriptive rules of grammar prescribe a standard of usage. This standard is

appropriate only to a formal variety of language, a fairly formal one which a sociolinguist
would term as high language.
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CHAPTER 3 Grammar .......................................
Prescriptive grammar spells out rules which serve to mould spoken and written English to
some standard form. Thus, prescriptive rules are taught in schools to teach students the
standard form of English. The following are some examples of prescriptive rules:
(a) To use ‘shall’ when using the first person (“I” or “we”); we use ‘will’ with second or
third person (“you”, “he”, “she, “it” and “they”.)
(b) Never use not with hardly, scarcely, neither, never, none, no one, nobody or nothing. These
words when combined with not form a double negative, which is not correct in
English.
(c) Do not split infinitives.
(d) Do not end a sentence with a preposition.
These are just some of the prescriptive rules that strict grammarians have laid out for
English speakers to follow. Without a doubt, we know that there are many more.
3.4 DESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR
Descriptive grammar is in contrast to prescriptive grammar.
Linguists are actually not interested in prescriptive rules but rather in the unconscious rules one
applies when one speaks. It does not matter what dialect or style one applies when one speaks,
one follows certain rules. These rules were never taught to native speakers of a language, and
often they do not correspond to the prescriptive rules taught at schools. In fact, there may be
differences from style to style and dialect to dialect.
Linguists are more interested to determine what these rules are and in describing them. Thus,
they are termed as descriptive rules. Table below shows some examples of how descriptive and
prescriptive rules differ.
Prescriptive grammar Descriptive grammar

It’s wrong to use ain’t. I ain’t going.He ain’t a lorry driver.
It’s not correct English to end a sentence with Ending a sentence with a preposition is
a preposition. acceptable. Who are you with?
It’s wrong to use two model verbs in a single Possible that I would be able to go.
clause.
The prescriptive rules emphasise on correctness of an utterance and try to force a usage that
aligns with one formal norm. On the other hand, descriptive rules accept the patterns a speaker
actually uses and tries to account for them as long as a consistency is maintained, and the use is
gaining acceptance among a group of speakers, no matter how small they may be.
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Descriptive rules allow for different varieties of a language; they do not ignore a construction
simply because a prescriptive grammarian does not like it.
3.5 SPEECH AND WRITING
Language is a means of communication. We use language to share information among us.

To be able to communicate we need the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing.
With competency in these four skills in a language, we can communicate efficiently in the
particular language.
However, speech and writing are regarded as the main aspects of language. This is because
they are believed to be the more important skills among the four. Linguists have different
perceptions of these skills as a group claims that writing is more superior to speech whereas
the other group thinks differently. Thus, they become divided and a conflict arises. This issue
is a somewhat important one as linguists were debating which of the two should be the
object of linguistic study and scrutiny.
Let us now view the justification to support the belief that speech is primary while writing is
secondary.
 Spoken language started much earlier than writing. The development of writing
started about 6000 years ago in Sumeria (present day Iraq). Man has used spoken
language for hundreds of thousands of years.
 Writing is not being used throughout the world. It is said that there are various
groups and communities that do not use a written form of language. As a matter of
fact, there are people who are illiterate; this means that they only depend on spoken
language.
 Writing has to be taught and learnt while speech is acquired naturally. Writing
can only be learnt after one has acquired or learned a language. Therefore, writing is
also a mere reflection of the ‘real’ thing which is speech.
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CHAPTER 3 Grammar .......................................
The differences between writing and speech include the following.
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1. Speech and writing are regarded as the main aspects of language. How do you
justify this statement? What are the differences between them?
2. Would you prefer prescriptive grammar or descriptive grammar when learning a

language or vice versa? Should school children learn the standard variety or the
substandard one?
SUMMARY
This chapter discusses grammar from the linguistics point of view. To understand
grammar, you will also need to comprehend what are linguistic competence and
linguistic performance. In addition, this chapter compares prescriptive grammar and
descriptive grammar. Finally, speech and writing are elaborated.

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………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to:

1. differentiate between prescriptive and descriptive grammar;

2. evaluate descriptive grammar; and

3. discuss the linguistic idea on speech and writing;

ELL322 LINGUISTICS FOR LANGUAGE TEACHER

3.1 WHEN YOU KNOW A LANGUAGE

3.2 OUR PERCEPTION OF GRAMMAR

3.3 PRESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR

Prescriptive rules of grammar prescribe a standard of usage. This standard is

3.4 DESCRIPTIVE GRAMMAR

Descriptive grammar is in contrast to prescriptive grammar.

Prescriptive grammar Descriptive grammar

3.5 SPEECH AND WRITING

Language is a means of communication. We use language to share information among us.

The differences between writing and speech include the following.

2. Would you prefer prescriptive grammar or descriptive grammar when learning a

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