Functionally Organized Grammars Can Improve Language Learning

Abstract

This paper compares current German grammar books for language learners with regard to their functional usefulness, that is, from an onomasiological (or functional) point of view. Traditional grammars are organized semasiologically (or formally), since they explain first and foremost the formation of grammatical forms and structures and only secondarily their use, rarely giving information about the corresponding functions, let alone about frequency of use or contextual restrictions. In an ironic reversal of priorities, in order to obtain information about a particular communicative functioni from these grammars, one must already know which forms and structures can be used to express it. A linguistically educated native speaker may know the prototypical ones, but relatively few will manage to list out all the existing means, particularly if they are scattered among diverse formal categories. For instance, proceeding from form, relatively few people would look up the future tense in German in order to inform themselves of the possible ways to express supposition; although this is in fact one of the most commonly used means in German to express that function: