Picking up on a point made by Paul, I want to ask the question, &quot;What is the domain of grammar? What does grammar encompass? What does it NOT encompass? What aspects of grammar should/should not be incorporated into the language arts curriculum?&quot; (I am referring to only the grammar of English.)<br>

<br>If we talk about language sounds (phonetics) and how we use them (phonology), are we talking about grammar? Do we need to concern ourselves in the classroom with breaking language down into it&#39;s basic units of meaning (morphology) to examine the construction of words? Are the rules for forming phrases, clauses, and sentences (syntax) the Sovereign of Grammar and how far do we take the teaching of these &quot;rules&quot;? Do we go beyond this level? Do we consider larger units of language (discourse) and its aspects of cohesion, coherence, clarity, information structuring? What about all of the context that informs our understanding of language (pragmatics) -- is that grammar? Do we even consider including stress, rhythm, and intonation (prosody) even if they have a huge impact on meaning? <br>

<br>What supports the teaching of grammar? Is it valuable/worth while to look at the history that informs/shapes the grammar (historical linguistics)? Is a unit on animal communication worthwhile in order to emphasize what makes human language/grammar so special? Where do we even start with all of the social/cultural implications of grammar (dialectology/sociolinguistics/anthropology/sociology)? Would we be doing a major disservice by failing to team up with our neighboring science teachers to discuss the cognitive/neural basis of grammar (cognitive/neurolinguistics) -- what we know about grammar and the brain/cognition is fascinating, but is it a part of grammar to English teachers?  <br>

<br>We must teach literature as well, but do we bring grammar along to analyze these canonized writings? (stylistics/text analysis)<br><br>It&#39;s a big question, I know, and certainly one addressed before, but the composition of this list has changed quite a bit, and I think that it is a discussion worth revisiting for the benefit of all members. Of course, reality precludes us from using an ideal definition of grammar in many cases, but I&#39;m more interested in what that ideal would look like to begin with. <br>

<br>I know this also brings into question the relationship between the English/Language Arts teacher and the linguist (or the role of those with a foot in both camps), but I&#39;d like to believe that we all agree by now that no harm comes from a sharing, amicable relationship at a minimum.<br>

<br>I look forward to hearing what everyone thinks!<br><br>John<br><br><br>
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