Theoretical Grammar Research Articles

Teaching & Learning Guide for: Noun Incorporation: Essentials and Extensions

Teaching & Learning Guide for: Noun Incorporation: Essentials and Extensions

Querying Cosmopolis at the Borders of Europe

Notions of immanence provide the implicit theoretical grammar for much work exploring the political terrain of an active transnational or radically cosmopolitan society in our day. In this paper I attempt to problematize such a gesture in the recent ‘turn to cosmopolis’, arguing that its conceptual frame fails to specify adequately the geohistorical preconditions for a politics capable of mediating between nationalizing and cosmopolitanizing tendencies at work in a globalizing world. For the case of Europe, I argue such a legacy may be more productively located in the ‘border work’ of mid-20th-century anti-imperialism and decolonization, whose struggles to redefine the postcolonial couplet of ‘nation’ and ‘state’ haunt current attempts by the European Union to craft a more inclusive and cosmopolitan transboundary future. I explore how such governmentalizing phantasms specifically inform attempts to create viable cross-border regions ( euregios) within the EU, and continue to gnaw at attempts to negotiate boundary disputes at the outer limits of the continent. In conclusion, a cautious rite of exorcism is ventured by engaging with the elusive anti-imperial cosmopolitanism of Frantz Fanon.

The definitions of the Greek Middle Voice between Apollonius Dyscolus and Constantinus Lascaris

Summary The present study offers a typological and a chronological classification of all the extant definitions of the middle voice from Apollonius Dyscolus (2nd century A. D.) to Constantinus Lascaris (1434–1501), the last significant Byzantine grammarian of the Modern times. As a result of the investigation, it becomes clear that there was no generally acknowledged definition of the middle voice in the Greek grammatical tradition until the Renaissance, when the last Byzantine grammarians attempted an all-embracing and complex systematization of the verbal voices. Before that time, what we find is a range of five different definitions, which were combined in different ways by Greek grammarians according to their needs and the scope of their works. Accordingly, the Greek Canones (morphological tables which listed and commented all variant forms of the corresponding verbal conjugations) generally stressed the morphological differences of the middle forms, whereas the Syntaxes neglected morphology and centred on the semantics and syntactic constructions of the middle verbal paradigms. The combination of both criteria in the more general and theoretical Grammars would thus allow for a variety of interpretations.

The Definitions of the Greek Middle Voice between Apollonius Dyscolus and Constantinus Lascaris

The present study offers a typological and a chronological classification of all the extant definitions of the middle voice from Apollonius Dyscolus (2nd century A. D.) to Constantinus Lascaris (1434–1501), the last significant Byzantine grammarian of the Modern times. As a result of the investigation, it becomes clear that there was no generally acknowledged definition of the middle voice in the Greek grammatical tradition until the Renaissance, when the last Byzantine grammarians attempted an all-embracing and complex systematization of the verbal voices. Before that time, what we find is a range of five different definitions, which were combined in different ways by Greek grammarians according to their needs and the scope of their works. Accordingly, the Greek Canones (morphological tables which listed and commented all variant forms of the corresponding verbal conjugations) generally stressed the morphological differences of the middle forms, whereas the Syntaxes neglected morphology and centred on the semantics and syntactic constructions of the middle verbal paradigms. The combination of both criteria in the more general and theoretical Grammars would thus allow for a variety of interpretations.

Grammar in the Language Classroom: Changing Approaches and Practices (review)

Reviewed by: Grammar in the Language Classroom: Changing Approaches and Practices Ellen Cray James, Joyce E. (Ed.). (2003). Grammar in the Language Classroom: Changing Approaches and Practices. Singapore: SEAMEO Regional Language Centre. Pp. 357, $16.00 US (paper). Grammar in the Language Classroom: Changing Approaches and Practices is an anthology of papers selected from the 2001 RELC International Seminar. Ideally a book like this would offer a range of perspectives on a central theme. This volume is meant to offer that type of survey; but, as is often the case, this ideal is not realized. The papers included cover such a range of topics and approaches that it is difficult for the reader to gain a sense of any unifying theme. The titles give a sense of the difficulty: they include 'The New Englishes and the Teaching of Grammar'; 'Lexicogrammar and Language Teaching Materials: A Social Semiotic and Discourse Perspective'; and 'Grammar and the Study of Poetry.' Given this diversity, it is a challenge to understand what the volume is about. There is a more serious problem with what is offered here. In spite of the range of topics covered, very little attention is given to current debates about and approaches to the teaching of grammar. While academics and methodologists are discussing such things as the place of focus-on-form (FonF) activities in the language classroom and the possible place of discourse grammars and language corpora, the only paper that addresses these issues is Tony T.N. Hung's chapter, 'How Linguistics Can Contribute to the Teaching of Grammar.' This paper provides a good summary of the ways in which such areas as corpus linguistics, descriptive grammars, theoretical grammars, and interlanguage analysis have contributed to second language teaching. The author does make an important point in the conclusion when he argues that linguistics, in its diverse forms, can serve to encourage the understanding that spoken language is not an inferior variety of language and [End Page 283] that variation in language is both natural and desirable; but he does not explain how linguistics can help teachers to accept these propositions. Many of the papers in this volume are grounded in traditional notions of pedagogical grammars and language learning. Jason Lim Min Hwa's paper on acquisition of the past tense uses contrastive analysis to explain problems that speakers of Bahasa Melayu have in judging the acceptability of sentences with simple past tense verbs and time adverbials. He then outlines an approach to teaching the simple past + adverbials based on a sequencing of rules. While it is clear that a great deal of thought has gone into this paper, it does not seem relevant to current discussions in the field of pedagogical grammar and explicit instruction. That said, there are two topics addressed in more than one paper that are relevant and interesting. The first is the issue of grammar and the new Englishes. In her paper 'Grammar and Identity in Malaysian Discourse,' Azirah Hashim explores how English-speaking Bahasa Melayu speakers vary their English production on the basis of context. She concludes that English speakers develop the ability to use the resources of both Bahasa Melayu and English to produce a variety of English that accommodates the particular context in which they are speaking and writing. Ma. Lourdes S. Bautista, writing about Philippine English, concludes that teachers need to be aware that there is a place for both exonormative and endonormative varieties of the language, noting that it important for teachers to recognize the value and importance of local varieties of English. Two authors attempt to move grammar away from sentence-level considerations to the discourse level. David Butt, in his paper 'Investigating Experience through Grammars: From Personal to Cultural Perspectives on the Evolution of School Knowledge,' argues that in order to learn language one must learn how to produce and communicate meaning and that grammar is a tool that allows investigation of text. Peter Mickan's very brief article is based on a similar argument - that the study of texts allows teachers to integrate form and meaning and that grammar is one of the tools that makes this study of texts possible. When read carefully and critically, the...

A Developmental Grammar for Syllable Structure in the Production of Child Language

The order of acquisition of Dutch syllable types by first language learners is analyzed as following from an initial ranking and subsequent rerankings of constraints in an optimality theoretic grammar. Initially, structural constraints are all ranked above faithfulness constraints, leading to core syllable (CV) productions only. Subsequently, faithfulness gradually rises to the highest position in the ranking, allowing more and more marked syllable types to appear in production. Local conjunctions of Structural constraints allow for a more detailed analysis.

Autolexical Syntax: A Theory of Parallel Grammatical Representations

In Syntax, Jerrold M. Sadock argues for a radical departure from the derivational model of grammar that has prevailed in linguistics for thirty years. He offers an alternative theory in which the various components of grammar in particular syntax, semantics, and morphology are viewed as fully autonomous descriptive devices for various parallel dimensions of linguistic representation. The lexicon in this theory forges the connection between autonomous representations in that a typical lexeme plays a role in all three of the major components of the grammar. Sadock's principal innovation is the postulation of a uniform set of interface conditions that require the several orthogonal representations of a single natural language expression to match up in certain ways. Through a detailed application of his theory to the twin morphosyntactic problems of cliticization and incorporation, Sadock shows that very straightforward accounts are made possible by the nonderivational model. He demonstrates the empirical success of these accounts by examining more than two dozen morphosyntactic problems in almost as many languages. Autolexical Syntax will be of interest to those in the fields of theoretical grammar, particularly concerned with the problems of morphology and syntax, as well as philosophers of language, logicians, lexicographers, psychologists of language, and computer scientists.

The mosaic acquisition of grammatical relations

The view that grammatical relations have substantial essence, designated as 'subject' or 'object' has difficulty in accounting for the variety of naturally acquirable grammatical relations. The acquisition of grammatical relations is examined from a theoretical framework, ROLE AND REFERENCE GRAMMAR, in which grammatical relations are decomposed into two separate types of structure: logical (semantic) structure and information (pragmatic) structure. The acquisition of grammatical relations from four languages is compared: (1) the definite accusative suffix and pragmatically motivated word order of Turkish; (2) Kaluli verb agreement, case and focus marking postpositions, and pragmatically motivated word order; (3) Hungarian definite and indefinite verb conjunction; and (4) Italian participial agreement and anaphoric, accusative case pronouns. Two conditions on structures are found to cause difficulty: the neutralization of a semantic or pragmatic distinction by interfering structures (e.g. Kaluli and Italian), and global case marking which forces the child to discover relevant semantic characteristics of both the actor and the undergoer (e.g. Hungarian and Kaluli). Structures that encode semantic or pragmatic distinctions independently are more easily acquired (e.g. Turkish). Piecing together discrete structures in a mosaic fashion, the child can acquire the great variety of grammatical relations that exist in human languages.

Reference grammars and pedagogical grammars

ABSTRACT: Four types of grammar are distinguished according to mode of use: reference grammars, pedagogical grammars, theoretical grammars, and teach‐yourself grammars. Four factors are shown to enter into a typology of grammars: the mode of use, the language of the user, the level of the user, and the aims of use. Reference grammars and pedagogical grammars are characterized, the former with particular respect to A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. In general it is not desirable to attempt to combine in one book the functions of these two types of grammars.

Renaissance Methodologies for Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language

ABSTRACT : The history of Spanish teaching is not only limited to the teaching of grammar in the xvi Century, as we might.be tempted to believe in our days. Brilliant scholars such as Erasmus and Vives were in favour of a "degrammaticalized" pedagogy. And materials for teaching Spanish following a conversational, learn-through-practice approach are printed and used quite extensively from the first part of the century. Materials of that kind are recorded much earlier (xiii C), for teaching other "vulgar" languages (French, Flemish, English). Spanish is incorporated into this methodology rather late, almost two centuries afterwards, exactly when the «Spanish Empire» reaches the Low Countries and the need for learning Spanish is felt abroad. Books and manuals for teaching Spanish are rare in Spain, except grammars (more specifically "theoretical grammars"). Books of dialogues, representative of a non-grammatical methodology, appear only in foreign countries, where the need for this kind of materials increases. The conclusion is that the elaboration- of materials by Spaniards in Spain will not influence the teaching of their language to foreigners, in spite of the fact that famous grammarians (Nebrija, Villalôn) refer in their works to the expansion of Spanish outside Spain. The reason might be that the feeling and understanding of the methodological requirements for teaching Spanish to non-native speakers of the language were notoriously absent. Very much as it was going to be the case until nowadays.

Theoretical elements and musical grammar in Romanian‐Byzantine church music: Philotheus the Romanian

Theoretical elements and musical grammar in Romanian‐Byzantine church music: Philotheus the Romanian

Participation Systems, Prepositions and Deep Structure Case as Decoding Devices for Modern Hebrew

Specific aspects of deep structure case grammar (Fillmore 1968, 1969) as well as participation systems (Cohen 1975) and an analysis of modern Hebrew case (Cole 1976) are simplified, adapted, and synthesized- into an applied linguistic decoding model which could have practical application in the field of foreign language teaching in general, and reading comprehension in particular. Specific problems intermediate and advanced English-speaking students may have reading Hebrew texts, the concept of pedagogical versus theoretical grammars, and the need for an individualized reading program for intermediate and advanced foreign language students are also discussed.

Minerva (1562) Por Francisco Sánchez de las Brozas. Introducción y edición de Eduardo Del Estal Fuentes. (review)

BOOK NOTICES 757 Minerva (1562). Por Francisco Sánchez de las Brozas. Introducción y edición de Eduardo Del Estal Fuentes. (Acta salmanticensia, Filosof ía y letras, 92.) Salamanca: Universidad de Salamanca, 1975. Pp. 121. This volume (originally a Salamanca doctoral dissertation) is divided into three parts. Part I (9-14) contains a brief prolog, an introduction, and a few words about the Minerva, whose discovery was first reported by Liafto in 1963. Part II (15-59) includes four short sections. In the first, Del Estai explains the reasons why the work of Sánchez (Sanctius) had not been found earlier; he presents, comparing chapter headings, the parallelisms which exist between the 1 562 and 1 587 versions ; and he refers to the impact of S's views on future scholarship. Another section is devoted to the doctrines of ellipsis in the 1562 Minerva. Still another covers the historical sources of S's work. In the last section, DE compares S's ideas with those of 20th-century linguistics. This part ends with a conclusion and a bibliography. Part III (61-121) contains the Latin text of the 1562 edition with two facsimile folios from the original publication. DE could have reduced Parts I and II to half their size, or even eliminated them altogether . He repeats and quotes previous scholars extensively, and hardly offers anything novel. All his material might have been condensed quite appropriately in a twentypage introduction. At any rate, Part I, Sec. 3 and Part II, Sec. A-I could have been integrated in one section. Part II, Sec. A-2 was unnecessary : DE should have sent the reader to J. M. Liafto Pacheco's Sanctius el brócense (Madrid, 1971), since the entire discussion is based on that author. Part II, Sec. B might also have been omitted ; rather than ten pages of quotations on ellipsis, DE could have given in footnote form the chapters and lines of the 1 562 Minerva where such passages occur. In this particular case, an analysis of S's views on ellipsis at that early date would have been of greater interest to the reader. Several other items ought to be mentioned, but I shall select only two. DE indicates (p. 52) that references to Ramus and Vergara are deleted in the 1587 work; yet S does cite Vergara's Greek grammar in Book 1, Chapter VII:17v. Also, DE states (p. 54) that Lázaro Carreter published a monograph on S. However, Lázaro has simply written a book on the linguistic ideas of 18th-century Spain, in which he devotes only a few paragraphs to S. The most valuable portion of this volume is Part III, which contains the complete text of the 1 562 Minerva. The handwritten examples and comments added in the margin by S, in preparation for his later edition, appear in footnotes. At the beginning ofeach entry, DE gives the specific lines next to which additions in the margins occurred. The original pagination has been kept, and, to facilitate reading, DE has italicized all attestations adduced by S. This work should be welcome for the simple reason that it will permit a larger readership, knowledgeable in Latin, to gain access to a 16th-century theoretical grammar. [Manuel Breva-Claramonte, Universidad de Deusto, Bilbao.] Physiology of speech production: an introduction for speech scientists. By W. J. Hardcastle. London: Academic Press, 1976. Pp. xviii, 157. This description of the anatomy and physiology of speech is a very useful reference on the mechanisms of speech production. Most books on this topic tend to be too medically pedantic and unconcerned with language. But this book, written by a phonetician who is himself a member of a linguistics department, focuses continually on topics that are important in linguistic phonetics. The emphasis is on the functional activity of the vocal organs, rather than on anatomical descriptions of the muscles involved. There is also an excellent account of sensori-motor control systems, leading into an important discussion of the motor control of speech production. The three major chapters describe the physiology of respiratory activity, of the larynx, and of articulatory organs in the vocal tract. Each is clearly and...

Glossematics and Russian morphology

The word "grammar" has two fairly distinct meanings. In one of these meanings the term is used to denote a compilation of paradigms, together with general advice on how to use a given construction in a way that is both appropriate and that does not deviate from the normative rules of the language being studied. In this sense a grammar is a handbook designed for use at colleges and universities. But we can also take "grammar" to mean a theoretical exposition of the laws or rules which govern the generation of the actual expressions of a certain language. It is quite clear that a theoretical grammar of this type must take elementary grammar into account. However, it is reasonable to attribute knowledge of the contents of a school grammar of the language to a reader of a theoretical grammar of that language; such data are simply commune bonum, and there is no necessity for the author of a theoretical grammar to present more of the elementary data than his exposition actually requires. Hans Chr. S0rensen's Strukturen i russisk [The structure of the Russian language], which consists of two parts: 7. Den verbale morfologi [The verbal morphology], 537 pp., and 2. Den nominale morfologi [The nominal morphology], 699 pp., is written with the double purpose of giving the elementary data for the beginner and of presenting a strictly theoretical account of the structure of Russian. The book is not primarily intended to give an exhaustive and scientific exposition of the morphology of Russian as, for example, the corresponding parts of the old Soviet academic grammar of Russian. It is really meant to serve as a school grammar, and, at the same time, present scientifically interesting discussions about Russian morphology within the framework of a specific linguistic theory, that of glossematics. The book succeeds in fulfilling the author's intentions, but unfortunately the pedagogical considerations on one hand, and the scientific demands on the other have prevented the book from functioning as a whole. There are few, if any, connections between the elementary and the theoretical parts of the book. Thus one cannot help wondering why S did not write two books: an elementary Russian grammar (L. D'urovi6 has made me aware of the fact that S already has written such a book, a fact which does not make the arrangement more attractive), and a theoretical exposition on Russian morphology. The book, in its present form, is in point of fact already two independent books, the chapters of which have been shuffled, as one shuffles

The Relationship between Functional and Theoretical Grammar. An Experiment Carried on with the American Council French Grammar Test-Selection type in Seven State Institutions

The Relationship between Functional and Theoretical Grammar. An Experiment Carried on with the American Council French Grammar Test-Selection type in Seven State Institutions