Traditional-Grammar_Limitations-and-Criticisms.pptx

Traditional Grammar, Grammatical Theories

1. TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR: Limitations and Criticisms

2. In a bid to establish a model grammar for spoken and written English, early grammarians aimed to do three things: to codify the principles of the language and reduce it to rules, to settle disputed points and decide cases of divided usage, and to point out common errors or what were supposed to be errors and thus correct and improve the language. This lead to the prescriptive and proscriptive nature of traditional grammar. Ibrahim Williams (2020) T he Cardinal Differences Between Traditional Grammar and Structural Grammar

3. KEY CONCEPT OF TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR Traditional grammar is a harvest of grammatical knowledge from the ancient Greek, Roman and Indian civilizations, which became accessible to European scholars following conquests, cross-continental Christianity, and diplomatic relations.

4. LIMITATIONS OF TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR The traditional grammar is basically structured on Indo-European classical languages. So it is poor model of grammar of languages. The traditional grammar rejects not only the contemporary usage but also the functional and social varieties of language - Muhammad Asif Saleem (2008) Department of Linguistics The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan

5. LIMITATIONS OF TRADITIONAL GRAMMAR Traditional grammar is prescriptive in nature and ignores the rules for speakers of a language. Language is not a math, and grammar can help, but it is not a perfect system. The grammar of English is constantly changing, and traditional grammar is often considered outdated. Traditional grammar defines what is and is not correct in the English language, not accounting for culture or modernizing in favor of maintaining tradition.

6. Traditional Grammar and Its Drawbacks: In the 1930s and 1940s there was a great outcry against the Traditional Grammar (Traditional Approach to Grammar) in Europe and America. This was the period when the structuralism was fast developing as a scientific discipline. The structuralists strongly reacted against the thinking of traditional grammarians. The structuralists named these weaknesses of traditional grammar. These are as follows:

7. Fallacies of Traditional Grammar. 1. Latinate Fallacy The first defect of traditional grammar according to structuralists is the use of one language framework in the description of another language. It is said that most of the traditional grammarians who wrote an English grammar were trained in Latin grammar. So, they used the framework of Latin language in the description of English language.

8. Fallacies of Traditional Grammar 2. Logical Fallacy This is the second weakness of the traditional approach to language. This is called as the ‘Logical Fallacy’. Traditional grammarians assumed that the laws of logic and the principles of grammar are the same. According to the structuralists laws of language are not logical.

9. Fallacies of Traditional Grammar 3. Semantic Fallacy Structuralists pointed out that many of the traditional grammars categories were based on meaning. They called it as the Semantic Fallacy’. ‘Semantic Fallacy’ means the use of meaning in the definition of grammatical categories. Structuralists said that meaning cannot be studied scientifically because it is not verifiable. Meaning according to them is a matter of introspection therefore it is beyond the scope of scientific investigation. Examples of this kind of fallacies are as follows. A noun is the name of a person, place or thing. ii) An interrogative is a sentence that asks a question. Structuralists objected the use of meaning as a tool in grammatical analysis. Another problem with the meaning based definitions according to structuralists is that these definitions gives scope to subjective interpretation and it cannot be used with precision.

10. Fallacies of Traditional Grammar 4. Prescriptive Fallacy: The traditional grammar tended to be prescriptive. Structuralists pointed out that grammar of any language must be scientific and descriptive.

11. Fallacies of Traditional Grammar 5. Mixing of Different Criteria Some of the traditional grammars definitions are based on meaning, some on function and some are on form. According to structuralists it is unscientific to mix up different criteria’s in defining one language system. Structuralists preferred on consistent set of criteria for defining language system.

12. Fallacies of Traditional Grammar 6. Lack of Explicitness The term explicitness has a technical meaning in linguistics. It means clearly and precisely stated. Testability is an important feature of scientific theories, statements. So clearly and unambiguously stated statements are the truth and can be tested. These statements are explicit statements.

13. Fallacies of Traditional Grammar 7. Written Form Fallacy Traditional grammarians ignored the spoken form of the language and wrote grammar based on the written form structuralists named these drawbacks as a written form fallacy. Traditionalists neglected the phonology. They concentrated on syntax and morphology. But according to struturalists spoken form of language is the only important thing to be studied.

14. Fallacies of Traditional Grammar 8. Ignoring Language Variation Traditionalist believed that only the language of great literature is worth paying attention to. Traditionalist neglected the other variations such as informal language, formal language, market language. Traditional grammarians were not interested in these types of languages so the traditional grammar is incomplete .

15. Criticisms of Traditional Grammar

16. The study of traditional school grammar has no effect on raising the quality of student  writing . In some studies a heavy emphasis on mechanics and usage (e.g., marking every  error ) resulted in significant losses in overall quality. GEORGE HILLOCKS P rofessor Emeritus, Department of Education and English Language and Literature, The University of Chicago.

17. S ummarizes the creeds of traditional grammar: "We say that traditional grammar is  prescriptive  because it focuses on the distinction between what some people do with language and what they  ought  to do with it, according to a pre-established standard. ... The chief goal of traditional grammar, therefore, is perpetuating a historical model of what supposedly constitutes proper language," (Williams 2005). Dr. James Williams is a senior lecturer in science education at the University of Sussex. He is also a freelance writer and education consultant. Author of Teacher’s Grammar Book.

18. Passionately opposed to school grammar and find it too restrictive. "[G] rammarians of the 2000s are the inheritors of the distortions and limitations imposed on English by two centuries of a Latinate perspective,"(Crystal 2003). DAVID CRYSTAL British linguist who works on the linguistics of the English language.

19. References: traditional_grammar.pdf (soton.ac.uk) (PDF) The Cardinal Differences Between Traditional Grammar and Structural Grammar (researchgate.net) Limitations Of Traditional Grammar | PDF (slideshare.net) Traditional (School) Grammar: Definition and Examples (thoughtco.com) (DOC) Strengths and Weaknesses of Traditional Grammar | Ammar Adamu Dawa - Academia.edu 5a65786730dc5.pdf (puneresearch.com)