My thanks to Bill, Craig and Gretchen for a variety of clarifying comments on what has occurred in the field of FLA and writing.  Can anyone, now, direct me to any comparative studies in FLA and writing.

I still contend that any innovation needs to be supported by comparative empirical evidence.   Were journal editors and book publishing editors more demanding in this respect, the proliferation of articles and books proposing innovations might be usefully limited - particularly if those innovations are of the doctrinaire variety based on theorising on the nature of learning - unlike what Gretchen is proposing.

This comment by Warren is intriguing:

I've been challenged by the Curriculum Co-ordinator for my department 
to present a definition of functional grammar that "takes thirty 
seconds or less." He strikes me as quite a traditionalist who rolls his 
eyes at the very mention of grammar instruction. I'd appreciate any 
concise definitions anyone would care to provide.

Why would a 'traditionalist' rolls his eyes at the very mention of grammar instruction?

I would have thought he would have been pleased.

Would Warren or anyone else define what they mean by the word 'traditionalist'.

Ron Sheen

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/