Construction Grammar Research Articles

Modelling constructivist language acquisition through syntactico-semantic pattern finding.

The constructivist acquisition of language by children has been elaborately documented by researchers in psycholinguistics and cognitive science. However, despite the centrality of human-like communication in the field of artificial intelligence, no faithful computational operationalizations of the mechanisms through which children learn language exist to date. In this article, we fill part of this void by introducing a mechanistic model of the constructivist acquisition of language through syntactico-semantic pattern finding. Concretely, we present a methodology for learning grammars based on similarities and differences in the form and meaning of linguistic observations alone. The resulting grammars consist of form-meaning mappings of variable extent and degree of abstraction, called constructions, which facilitate both language comprehension and production. Applying our methodology to the CLEVR benchmark dataset, we provide a proof of concept that demonstrates the online, incremental, data-efficient, transparent and effective learning of item-based construction grammars from utterance-meaning pairs.

A rudimentary analogy-based model of how syntactic constructions emerge from linguistic experience

AbstractThis paper highlights theoretical issues in construction grammar and presents a simple computational language model as a preliminary solution to these issues. The specific issues dealt with are the lack of explicit definition of syntactic categories and the lack of explicit proposals regarding how constructions can be learned from linguistic experience. The proposed language model, called the “analogical path model”, learns two-word syntactic patterns from sentences by finding distributional analogies between word pairs. The theoretical relevance and implications of the analogical path model are discussed at the end of the paper.

The 5C Model of Linguistic Creativity: Construction Grammar as a Cognitive Theory of Verbal Creativity

Creativity is a design feature of human language. This paper presents a cognitive model of verbal creativity that draws on insights from the psychological research into creativity—particularly Glăveanu’s 5A model that distinguishes five crucial perspectives on a creative act (actors, audience, artefacts, actions and affordances). The paper will outline a linguistic version of this model that adopts Construction Grammar as its theoretical foundation. The resulting “5C model of constructional creativity” argues that the central elements of linguistic creativity are constructors, co-constructors, constructs, constructional blending and the constructional network.

Construction and Semantics of Idioms with Colors in Mu'jam at-Ta'bir al-Ishthilahi fi al-Arabiyat al-Mu’ashirah

This study presents information about the meaning of connotations, grammatical construction, and semantic categories of color idioms in Arabic. Through library research, the main data source is Mu'jam at-Ta'bir al-Ishthilahi. Data collection techniques are reading techniques and note-taking techniques. The determining element sorting technique is used to analyze the data. The results of this study show that white and black are the dominant elements in forming Arabic idioms, followed by yellow, green, and red. White color is dominated by positive connotations, although there are uses with negative and neutral connotations. In contrast, black is dominated by negative connotations, and there is one data with positive and neutral connotations. The colors yellow and green only have negative connotations. Meanwhile, red has both positive and negative connotations. There are full and partial idioms in terms of the meaning of the forming elements. In terms of grammatical construction, there are three categories: First, N + Adj. The colors in this construction are all attribute elements. Second: Intransitive verb + N, which is one case. Third: V + Preposition 'ala + Adjective, which is one case. Fourth: Verb + preposition + Adjective + conjunction + adjective, which is one case. The implication is that color symbolization is closely related to people’s perceptions. In Arab society, giving connotations to black is more dominant as a negative or white as a positive symbol. However, color connotations are not closed. The connotation of a particular color is closely related to the language user's perception of the object.

L2 cognitive construal and morphosyntactic acquisition of pseudo-passive constructions

Abstract Discussion of the theoretical underpinning of pseudo-passive constructions abounds in generative linguistics and comparative typology. However, the cognitive construal of and morphosyntactic acquisition of (un)grammatical English pseudo-passive constructions by Chinese-speaking L2-English users with different proficiency levels have never been investigated. It is worth examining whether proficiency level modulates constructional acceptability and cognitive construal, which would allow us to infer L2-English users’ morphosyntactic acquisition stages of pseudo-passive constructions. To fill this research gap, the study recruited 120 L2-English speakers with different levels of proficiency and 40 native English speakers to complete a grammaticality judgment test with an acceptance judgment scale from −2 to 2 for 40 ungrammatical pseudo-passive sentences and 40 fillers. Proficiency level significantly correlates with a firmer rejection of ungrammatical pseudo-passive sentences and cognitive construal which is more target-like. Significantly asymmetrical acceptance levels between two types of target ungrammatical constructions are also revealed for low (p = 0.002) and medium proficiency (p = 0.000) groups, demonstrating the type effect on grammaticality judgment and morphosyntactic acquisition.

Updating Old English Dative–Genitives: A Diachronic Construction Grammar Account

This article conducts a corpus linguistics analysis of the dative–genitive subconstruction within the broader context of Old English double object complementation. The ditransitive construction in Old English has traditionally been perceived as a network of alternating subconstructions, including dat-acc, acc-dat, acc-gen, dat-gen, and acc-acc, as the most productive variants. Recent literature has primarily focused on dat-accs and acc-dats because they are the most productive patterns across the history of English, giving also rise to the current ditransitive construction. However, the less productive case frames have received considerably less recent attention. This work, part of an ongoing investigation aimed at creating an OE dat-gen database, builds upon Visser’s list, verified and implemented by findings obtained from a search conducted in the Dictionary of Old English Web Corpus. We obtain 88 verb types and 443 tokens, incorporating 19 new verb types and 260 tokens into the database. More significantly, we offer a detailed description of the conceptual domains and verb classes associated with OE dat-gens, which display a semantics characterized by the presence or absence of actual transfer, as well as transitions from literal to metaphorical transfer, with speech verbs playing a significant role.

СПОСОБЫ ЛИНГВИСТИЧЕСКОЙ РЕАЛИЗАЦИИ ЭТИЧНОЙ КОММУНИКАЦИИ ВРАЧА НА ЗАНЯТИЯХ ПО РУССКОМУ ЯЗЫКУ КАК ИНОСТРАННОМУ

The article deals with the formation of communication skills of foreign medical students in the professional sphere of activity. Much attention is given to the formation of ethical communicative behavior skills of a foreign medical student in the Russian language culture environment on the lessons of Russian as foreign. Ethical communicative behavior cannot be realized regardless of sociocultural and individual peculiarities of patients. Moreover, these factors are the key figure of effective doctor-patient communication. Analysis of educational literature in teaching Russian as foreign in the medical activity for foreign medical students shows lack of attention paid to this issue. To ensure ethical communication, foreign medical students should be able to choose lexical and grammatical constructions in Russian with consideration to the communicative aim and the factors mentioned above. The authors endeavour to analyse the main difficulties in the formation of ethical communicative behavior skills of foreign students with consideration to the factors. Different types of tasks aimed at the formation of ethical communicative behavior skills are suggested on the basis of the analysis.

Mastering the ways of indicating transport when mastering Russian as a native and as a foreign language

The subject of the article's research is the peculiarities of prepositional-case constructions with the meaning of vehicle in children's monolingual speech, in the speech of Chinese students studying Russian as a foreign language and in the speech of heritage Russian speakers with different dominant languages. The study examines case constructions with the meaning of movement. The specificity of mastering grammatical construction in the course of mastering Russian as a native language, as one of the native languages, and as a foreign language is analyzed. The research material was experimental data collected in a children's classroom and in an adult foreign audience, as well as information from the “Russian Academic Corps /RLC” (Corpus of the Linguistic Laboratory for Corpus Technologies of the National Research University Higher School of Economics, containing information about the development of Russian as a foreign language and native speakers of Russian with different dominant languages). The research methodology included: longitudinal observation of the speech of monolingual children, psycholinguistic experiment in a foreign audience, corpus research method; comparative research, semantic and functional analysis. The scientific novelty of the proposed work lies in the fact that for the first time a comparative analysis of data is presented that describes the ways of mastering the case construction with the meaning of indicating transport by Russian-speaking children, Chinese students and heritage native speakers of the Russian language. Typical differences and errors in the choice of construction are considered, the strategy of simplification in the speech of foreign students is described, and the ways of grammatical interference are analyzed. Analysis of errors made by Russian-speaking children and adult foreigners allows us to draw conclusions about the specifics of mastering Russian case meanings. Errors in choosing a case ending with a correctly chosen preposition are often observed in the speech of foreign students and heritage speakers, but do not appear in children's speech. Thus, in the Russian language there is a wide variety of ways to indicate a vehicle. Choosing the correct construction when indicating transport represents a specific difficulty in the course of mastering Russian as a foreign language and requires special attention.

LINGVO-DIDACTIC FEACHES OF STUDYING VERBS OF MOTION IN FOREIGN MEDICAL STUDENTS’ CLASS

One of the important part of the process of studying the Ukrainian language by non-native speakers is the learning the lexical-semantic group of verbs of motion. The article deals with the main methodical principles and techniques that ensure the assimilation of information about verbs of motion in the course of the discipline «Ukrainian as a foreign language» at the theoretical and practical levels, contribute to mastering the skills to use the verbs of motion by English speaking students in their oral and written communication on their own. The article is devoted to presentation of the methodology for learning verbs of movement the the foreign medical students. The methodology was developed and tested by the teachers of the Department of Ukrainian Studies of Vinnytsya National Pirogov Memorial Medical University and presented in the national textbook «Ukrainian language as a foreign language for English-speaking medical students. Book 1. Sociocultural communication». The aim of the article is to analyze the proposed didactic solutions, presented semantic information, grammatical constructions, educational tables, types of tasks and their content in accordance with the communicative needs of English-speaking students who are starting to learn Ukrainian as a foreign language. In addition to the theoretical substantiation of the research topic, the article presents practical recommendations, a system of exercises for learning verbs of motion in a foreign-language audience at different levels of Ukrainian language proficiency. The method proposed in scientific research is the result of long-term practical work on teaching the Ukrainian language as a foreign language, it is based on a functional-communicative approach that promotes conscious mastery of the language. It is aimed at helping non-native speakers to overcome the difficulties of understanding the lexical-semantic diversity of verbs of motion in the Ukrainian language, their grammatical categories, to gain clear and structured knowledge of a complex and multifaceted topic. The key to a successful result is gradual teaching based on previously studied material, using educational schemes, grammatical constructions, tables, etc. Key words: verbs of motion, Ukrainian language as a foreign language, linguistic didactics, methodology of teaching Ukrainian language as a foreign language.

FEATURES OF GLOBALIZATION OF UKRAINIAN LANGUAGE WEBSITES

To make Ukrainian sites be perceived by the world community, they have to be translated and in a certain way adapted to existing rules and traditions, which determines the relevance of the problem of globalization of Ukrainian language websites. Various aspects of the Internet linguistics are regarded by scientists. But the problems of globalization of Ukrainian language sites are not yet sufficiently covered. The purpose of the article is to analyze the main features of the globalization of well-known Ukrainian language sites by comparing their Ukrainian and English versions. The research material was the websites of the Roshen Corporation, the AVK company, and Oles Honchar Dnipro National University. The difficulty in translating a website starts with translating a company or product name. The header is considered the most important element of the site. When translating a website, it is very important to consider the recipient of the translation. The translator should note that the information on the site will be viewed by users with different knowledge in a certain field, therefore, thematic vocabulary should be used in the translation language, which will be understandable not only to a person who is knowledgeable in a certain field, but also to an average reader. The main rule of translation of this part of the site is meaningfulness and brevity. The next characteristic feature of the text of websites is the presence of elements of advertising text, expressed in emotionally colored vocabulary, which attracts the attention of the addressee and forms a positive image in their minds. The lack of some menu items in the translation is due to the irrelevance of the information for foreign users. When translating a site, it is not enough to only translate the text presented in the original language, it is necessary to analyze the provided information and adapt the site for foreign users. Therefore, for the globalization of websites, English is the most acceptable language because it is spoken by a large number of the population. The translator should use commonly used vocabulary and simple grammatical constructions, as this greatly simplifies the understanding of the text. The English and Ukrainian versions of the websites almost completely duplicate each other (both in terms of design and content). We see the prospects for further research in the expansion of the research base, which will make it possible to reach more generalized conclusions. Key words: translation, Internet, site, globalization, localization.

Grammatical Errors in Using Adverbial Clauses of Reason as Modifiers in Some Indonesian Journalistic Headlines

This journal article examines the grammatical construction of some TV news headlines, highlighting the issues that arise due to their structure. The primary concern is that the headlines use adverbial clauses or phrases of reason before the main clauses which inadvertently cause some confusion about the subjects and the actions of the news stories. That is because the adverbial clauses or phrases often function as appositives to modify the subject of the main clause. When used as clauses of reason as in the headlines, this grammatical construction creates ambiguity in understanding who is then performing the described actions. The study finds that these headlines are structurally complex and misleading, making them fail to convey their intended meaning. To address this issue, the article suggests that the headlines be rephrased to eliminate ambiguity. Improved headline construction not only enhances communication but also ensures that potential confusion for the audience is minimized.

THÌ and LÀ Constructions in Vietnamese: A Study on Argument Structures

This study aims to shed light on the argument structure of the Vietnamese particles THÌ and LÀ, which function as markers of focused constituents and topic-comment structures, respectively. The research objectives are to identify the syntactic and semantic properties of constructions involving THÌ and LÀ, and to analyze their argument structures within the theoretical frameworks of construction grammar. Specifically, the constructional approach (Goldberg 1995, 2006) and radical construction grammar (Croft 2001) will be employed. The methodology involves collecting a corpus of naturally occurring data from various written sources. The data will undergo qualitative analysis to identify argument structure patterns associated with THÌ and LÀ constructions, as well as quantitative analysis of frequency and distribution. The expected findings will provide insights into the argument structures of these Vietnamese constructions, elucidating how focused constituents and topic-comment structures are marked. The study will evaluate the applicability of the chosen theoretical frameworks in accounting for the observed patterns. The findings have potential applications in natural language processing tasks requiring accurate recognition and interpretation of focused constituents and topic-comment structures, such as information extraction, machine translation, and language generation. Furthermore, the study may inform language teaching and acquisition by shedding light on the usage patterns of THÌ and LÀ in Vietnamese. The analysis is expected to contribute to a deeper understanding of argument structures in Vietnamese and potentially motivate extensions or modifications to the theoretical frameworks.

“Come thou the spirits of village and locality, come thou the spirits of sons and daughters!”

Abstract This paper discusses the ritual language of Thadou-Kuki, a Tibeto-Burman language of the Kuki-Chin subgroup spoken in Northeastern India and the Chin State of Myanmar. The paper examines 13 ritual texts to determine the nature of language use and the types of structure that ritual language provides. The paper discusses the general belief surrounding the traditional religion as background information to the types of ritual language discussed in the paper. This is followed by a discussion on the structure of ritual language in terms of composition, grammatical constructions, and the choices of words used in the ritual language of Thadou-Kuki, including archaic expressions that are characteristic of ritual language. From the analysis of the ritual texts, the paper discusses the types of repetition at the level of syllables and paragraphs/stanzas. Each stanza is further divided into couplets of repetitive phrases (differing mostly in the initial words of a phrase or sentence). The paper divides the ritual language of Thadou-Kuki into two, namely invocation and direct address to the spirits. The former makes use of imperatives, namely the request –ô, the invitational –în, and the hortative –hèen. Direct address to the spirits, on the other hand, makes use of the declarative mood, namely, a clause or sentence-final marker –e.

Considerații privind valoarea de optativ a conjunctivului românesc și bulgăresc în propoziții independente

The Romanian and Bulgarian languages share common features stemming from the Balkan linguistic aria. Among the distinctive grammatical constructions in Balkan languages is the new-type analytic subjunctive, a replacement for the infinitive in various languages such as Romanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Albanian, and Greek. The subjunctive can manifest in present, imperfect, perfect, and pluperfect tenses in most languages. However, Romanian has more limited combinations, employing only the present and perfect tenses. Despite these differences, the subjunctive shares structural, semantic, and usage similarities across Balkan languages. The use of the subjunctive in optative sentences is a common feature in Balkan languages, conveying achievable desires in the present and strong but unrealizable wishes in the past. This paper aims to broaden the research on the Balkan-type subjunctive by illustrating parallels in the modal values of this mood in Romanian and Bulgarian in independent optative sentences. The research underscores numerous correspondences in the use of the subjunctive in optative sentences in Romanian and Bulgarian. In both languages, within the optative context, the subjunctive expresses various sentiments such as desire, wishes, regret, protest, and indignation. The expression of both factual and counterfactual desires using present and past subjunctive forms is also similar in both languages. The present forms of the subjunctive express a factual desire, meaning an achievable wish that could be fulfilled in the future. The present subjunctive forms are very often encountered in idiomatic expressions that convey wishes and imprecations. Many similarities are noted between expressions in the two languages, both in terms of structure and in semantics and lexical means. The use of present subjunctive forms is not typical for expressing counterfactual wishes (unrealizable or difficult to achieve) but occurs in specific contexts. Wishes expressed through past subjunctive forms are counterfactual because the circumstances in which they could have been realized are omitted. Such statements convey the speaker's regret regarding an unfulfilled desire. In Romanian grammar, detailed treatment of the uses of the perfect subjunctive is lacking, but it is noted to have optative value. In Bulgarian, counterfactual wishes are expressed using three past tenses of the subjunctive – pluperfect, imperfect, and perfect. In this regard, the capabilities of the perfect subjunctive in Romanian stand out for expressing multiple meanings. With the exception of some meanings of the imperfect subjunctive in Bulgarian, the perfect subjunctive in Romanian can convey nearly all the meanings of the three past tenses in Bulgarian. The study highlights numerous similarities in the use of the subjunctive in Romanian and Bulgarian in optative sentences, offering observations that contribute to a deeper understanding of this mood within the field of Romanian, Bulgarian, and Balkan linguistics.

Specific Grammatical Aspects of Translating the Iaea Regulatory Documents into the Russian Language

The article discusses some grammatical features of the IAEA safety requirements and guides in the English language and in their Russian translations. Considering that these documents make a foundation of the global nuclear safety system, and grammar is the backbone of the language and an essential constituent of the communication content, the paper is focused on the analysis of the ways of translating specific grammatical structures, which determines current importance of this study. The aim of the work is to compare typical grammatical constructions used in the texts of the Russian translations of the IAEA publications under consideration with the grammatical features of similar Rostechnadzor’s regulatory documentation. The main tasks of the authors are to compare the ways of translating English modal and passive constructions, English verbals and verbal structures into Russian and to verify the translator’s choice of a certain grammatical structure in the translations of the regulations and guidelines under consideration. Taking research tasks predetermined the choice of the following research methods: comparative analysis; linguistic and statistical analysis; contextual analysis; inductive and deductive analysis. To obtain linguistic and statistical analysis data, the authors applied such software tools as SDL Trados, Adobe Acrobat, Excel and MS Word. In order to ensure the correctness of the results, only the substantive part of the documents under consideration was analyzed.The analysis has brought to the following results: the need to comply with the regulatory requirements narrows the choice of Russian modal constructions in the translation of "should" statements used in IAEA documents. The issue of changing the regulatory requirement that prescribes to use the Russian verb "следует" has to be treated very carefully, considering the established practice of both translating the IAEA safety guides and their understanding by the target users; the translation of English passive constructions and verbals used in the IAEA safety guides gives clear preference to the use of Russian indefinite-personal structures with verbs in the active voice in the 3rd person plural; the grammatical structures used in the translation of the IAEA publications in question generally correspond to the grammatical structures used in the Rostechnadzor regulatory documents, which is predetermined by the information nature and ensures a fairly high similarity of their style.

Locative Inversion in Old English Embedded Clauses

A grammatical construction resembling Present-Day English locative inversion has already been found in Old English, with a fronted prepositional phrase prompting V2 word order, both in main and subordinate clauses. It has been demonstrated that several discourse-related factors influence the positioning of objects, fronted locatives, finite verbs and subjects in subordinate clauses. One of the main aims of the present paper is to provide a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the locative inversion construction in Old English subordinate clauses. The Old English data for this study were obtained from the York–Toronto–Helsinki Parsed Corpus of Old English Prose, and they were analysed using Corpus Studio. The results were compared with those for main clauses, and discourse-related factors such as PP anaphoricity or subject type were analysed in order to find the motivation for the existence of this alternation of word orders. PP anaphoricity proved not to be a determining factor in triggering finite verb inversion, while other factors such as subject weight and subject type do seem to motivate finite verb inversion, thus yielding an embedded PP-V-S word order.

Developing mobile taxation accounting dictionary application: Augmenting speaking proficiency in project-based learning

This study aims to investigate and develop a mobile tax accounting dictionary that functions as a self-learning tool for improving speaking competence through project-based learning. The dictionary was created based on the ADDIE Model (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation). The application was developed utilizing the Waterfall approach, PHP programming language, and the SLIM framework. The application covered a wide range of tax accounting terms with bilingual sample sentences, learning materials focusing on grammatical constructions utilized in business meeting presentations, an evaluation section featuring vocabulary placement tests, and exercises at varying difficulty levels. During the implementation phase, a quasi-experimental approach was employed using a pretest-posttest control group design with 52 participants from the Accounting Taxation Study Program. To evaluate the impact of the dictionary application on student learning achievement, the speaking scores of the students were analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and the SPSS Statistics 25 program. The data analysis, specifically the independent Samples Test output table, revealed a significant difference (Sig value < 0.05) between the results of the control and treatment classes. Consequently, the self-learning Taxation Accounting Dictionary application produced in this study was an excellent aid for boosting students’ speaking skills, as evidenced by improved performance after using the application.

Rethinking the Relationship between Subjectification, Intersubjectification, and Textualization from a Constructionalist Perspective

Abstract In the last forty years there have been several proposals regarding a generalizable historical ordering among subjectification, intersubjectification and textualization. To date, most hypotheses have been developed within the framework of grammaticalization, in which hypotheses about unidirectional paths of change have played a significant role. In this paper I ask two questions: 1: Is there evidence for a generalizable historical ordering among subjectification, intersubjectification and textualization? 2. What hypotheses about the relationship between these three change-types appear to be optimal from the perspective of Diachronic Construction Grammar? I argue that, although particular data may suggest one trajectory or another, it is not possible to generalize over the order of changes. I propose a constructionalist model in which constructions have communicative, among other, functions, and in which the properties subjective, intersubjective and textual are of equal status and may emerge simultaneously in certain domains of grammar, such as Discourse Structuring Markers.

« Avec autisme », « autiste », « sur le spectre », « avec un TSA » ? Étude des préférences de dénomination et des facteurs pouvant les influencer auprès de la population française

IntroductionAutism-related language preferences are increasingly studied. While there are some guidelines established in international journals and a relatively clear consensus when it comes to the English language, studies in other languages are still rare. When it comes to this conversation, the preferences are often split between person-first language and identity first language (i.e., person with autism or autistic person). Some languages, such as French, have a different grammatical construction: the adjective comes after the noun, which leads to “person” always coming first. However, the presence of the “with” still leads to the same conversation as happens in English when it comes to “separating” the person from their autism. Our study expands on previously published results regarding French-speaking adults’ language preferences when it comes to autism, as well as identifying some factors that could be related to these choices. MethodsWhile participating in a larger survey regarding autistic masking and mental health, participants were invited to select their language preference amongst four options (autistic person, person with autism, person on the autism spectrum and person with Autism Spectrum Disorder) so that the items would reflect their choice throughout the questionnaires. One thousand seven hundred and fifty-seven responses were collected, split in 4 groups: 689 formally diagnosed autistic persons, 265 persons on a waitlist for autism assessment, 353 persons self-identifying as autistic and 450 non-autistic persons. Chi-square independence tests were conducted to identify potential factors that could influence language preferences. ResultsIFL (autistic person) was favored by the formerly diagnosed autistic group (65%), the self-identified group (46.7%) and the waitlist group (49.1%). The non-autistic group was the only one to favor PFL (person with ASD) (39.1%). Age was significantly associated with language preference, with younger people endorsing IFL while people aged 56 and over favored PFL (but IFL was favored when the non-autistic group was excluded from the analysis). Gender was also significantly associated with language preference, with non-binary people overwhelmingly endorsing IFL (71.8% in the total sample, 76.5% when excluding the non-autistic group). Being cisgender was another factor that was significantly associated with language preference, with TGD people also showing a major preference for IFL. Self-stigma was not associated with language preference. Finally, internalized shame was also associated with language preference, with people showing a lower level of internalized shame showing more preference for IFL than those with a higher level of internalized shame. DiscussionOverall, our results confirm a strong preference for IFL in autistic French-speaking adults and highlight some factors such as age, gender, and internalized shame that could play a role in these preferences. This study was not a study on language preferences and we might not have covered the whole range of possible preferences. Other limits include a self-reported diagnosis status and the inability to reach people with higher support needs. We encourage researchers to include in their data collection forms the possibility for the participants to choose their preferred language.

A MIXED METHOD APPROACH IN GRAMMAR TEACHING (BUKOVYNA, THE FIRST HALF OF THE XX CENTURY)

The unique aspect of studying other languages is not only the acquisition of basic information, but also the development of communicative competency abilities, which are practical skills required in everyday practice or communication with representatives of foreign-speaking societies. Our present research focuses on the devlopment and implementation of a mixed method of learning for teaching grammatical material in English and German in Bukovyna schools during the first half of the twentieth century. The purpose of our research is to compare the prerequisites for the development and formation of the methodology of teaching English and German grammatical competence in Bukovyna schools between 1932 and 1940, as well as to reveal the peculiarities of the formation of reproductive and receptive grammatical skills in the specified territory and within the defined time for further study of listening, reading, and speaking. Consequently, instructional tactics demonstrated the right selection and organization limits. The development of fundamental grammar abilities is seen as critical in teaching foreign language grammar, since it serves as a foundation of grammatical information. The explanation of grammatical phenomena in German and English was given in the original language, supported by examples from the texts, and strengthened by the completion of exercises. The structure of the grammar appendices, which included extra exercises to reinforce grammatical constructions and the authors' personal explanations of the textbooks in addition to rules and tables, also made a difference in the way the grammatical material of the languages mentioned was taught. The most recent strategy in textbooks at the time was to promote communicating with native speakers (for example, via correspondence), which improved grammatical and lexical mastery of a foreign language. It came to light that acquiring grammatical content using a mixed technique was an approach for producing grammatically and lexically correct spoken speech. Practical application (speaking) demonstrates comprehension of the fundamental principles of grammar and their proper application. Authentic literary reading was essential for developing grammatical knowledge. Translation exercises examined different languages' grammatical structures, with the goal of improving the capacity to use them in context and accurately acquire them when speaking.