Johanna asked me to post the following to the list:

--- Johanna Rubba <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> From: Johanna Rubba <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: The role of English teachers
> Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 11:38:18 -0700
> To: "Paul E. Doniger" <[log in to unmask]>
> 
> Paul, I still can't post. Post for me?
> 
> In response to Phil Bralich:
> 
> The first thing that has to go is the idea that there is “English” -- 
> that is, that only one set of grammar rules describes the entity called 
> “English”. “The English language” is a set of dialects, each dialect 
> having a set of registers. Each dialect has its own set of grammar 
> rules and its own ways of varying by register.
> 
> Still, there are some notions in current K-12 grammar books that have 
> to be either replaced or refined, even for a correct description of 
> "proper English":
> 
> - Pronouns replace nouns
> - Present tense means present moment (for all verbs)
> - There are eight parts of speech
> - The subject is the doer of the verb’s action
> - The subject is “what the sentence is about”
> - A sentence is a “complete thought”
> - “Very” is an adverb
> - “Diamond” in “diamond ring” is an adjective
> 
> I could go on, but given Phil’s responses to past posts on this matter, 
> I won’t take the time.
> 
> Dr. Johanna Rubba, Associate Professor, Linguistics
> Linguistics Minor Advisor
> English Department
> California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
> E-mail: [log in to unmask]
> Tel.: 805.756.2184
> Dept. Ofc. Tel.: 805.756.2596
> Dept. Fax: 805.756.6374
> URL: http://www.cla.calpoly.edu/~jrubba

To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
and select "Join or leave the list"

Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/