LANGUAGE DESCRIPTIONS

LANGUAGE DESCRIPTIONS CLASSICAL/TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR STRUCTURAL LINGUISTICS TRANSFORMATIONAL GRAMMAR LANGUAGE VARIATIONS & REGISTER ANALYSIS FUNCTIONAL/NOTIONAL SYLLABUS DISCOURSE/RHETORICAL ANALYSIS

1. CLASSICAL/TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR Description of English and other languages were based on the grammars of the classical languages: Greek and latin. This description were based on an analysis of the role played by each word in the sentence. Languages were described in this way because the classical L were case-based L where the grammatical function of each word in the sentence was made apparent by the use of appropriate inflections

The influence of classical Grammar has never been STRONG. Continued............ Thus, the form of a word would change according to whether it was a subject, object, indirect object, and so on. The influence of classical Grammar has never been STRONG.

2. Structural Linguistics The structural or “Slot” and “filler” form L description will be familiar to most L teachers as result of the enormous influence it has had on L teaching since the second world war. In a structural description, the grammar of L is described in terms of SYNTAGMATICS structures which carry the fundamental propositions (Statement, interrogative, negative, imperative) and notions (Time, number, gender etc)

3. Transformational Generative Grammar Chomsky argued in “Syntactic Structure” that structural description was superficial because it only described the surface structure of the L and thus could not explain relationship of meaning which were quite clearly there. But which were not realized in the surface structure. In the early stages of its Development, ESP put most emphasis on describing the performance needed for communication in the target situation and paid little attention to the Competence underlying it

4. Language Variation & Register Analysis The concept of L variation gave rise to the type of ESP which was based on register analysis. If L varies according to text, it was argued, then it should be possible to identify the kind of L associated with a specific context such as an area of knowledge (Legal Eng, Social Eng, Medical Eng, Business Eng)

5. Functional/notional Grammar Function are concerned with social behavior and represent the intention of the speaker/writer e.g. Advising, warning, threatening, describing Function = Structure + context Notion reflects the ways in which the human being mind thinks.

6. Discourse Analysis It emphasize on how meaning is generated between sentences The context is important in creating meaning The change of meaning is influenced by Sociolinguistic context: Who is speaking to whom and why. The meaning changes according to the relationship between the participants in the dialogue and according to their reason for speaking