Generative grammar is, indeed, complex for the sake of scholars in
linguistics.  But at the base of it lies a simple phrase structure grammar
that has the potential of solving many of the problems we have in teaching
traditional grammar.  Instead of a host of disconnected terms (that is,
disconnected in the mind of the student) we have just a few phrases that
make up the basic sentence in English, phrases that we can refer to in
familiar traditional terms.  The students learn what they need to learn
about grammatical structure, they gain a vocabulary that is sufficient for
communication about grammar, and they retain much of what they have learned.
See my website if you want to take a look at the text.


Jeff Glauner
Associate Professor of English
Park University, Box 1303
8700 River Park Drive
Parkville MO 64152
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http://www.park.edu/jglauner/index.htm
<http://www.park.edu/jglauner/index.htm>

-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Veit, UNCW English Department [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2001 4:43 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: generative grammar


Generative grammar, as generally presented, is complex, abstruse,
formula-intensive, and forbidding to lay persons--not surprising since much
of the work is done by math types who are strangers to clear writing.

We shouldn't assume, however, that the subject is closed to others. I teach
a required college grammar course to education and English majors, and the
model we use is generative. Many, if not most, students enter the class with
low expectations (often with outright dread). On the first day I always
enjoy "betting" my students that at the end of the course they will write on
the anonymous course evaluations that the course was fun for them. In the
great majority of cases, I win my bet. To their surprise, students find they
like the course, say they learned a lot, give high evaluations, and develop
a love for grammar.

One strength of a generative approach is that is tries to create a model not
just of sentence structure but also of how we actually produce those
sentences. Because the available generative texts didn't meet my students'
needs, I wrote my own. The book's approach is generative, but with
methodology taking a back seat to content: learning the grammar of English.

As a former primary and secondary teacher, I've always believed a generative
approach is adaptable to high schools and even the lower grades. I've had a
long-term goal of creating a high school text, but other book projects and
administrative duties have always intervened. I hope someone else creates
such a text. It wouldn't be for everybody, but grammar teachers would
benefit from a choice of approaches.

Dick Veit
University of North Carolina at Wilmington

Discovering English Grammar, 2nd edition:
   http://www.uncwil.edu/people/veit/DEG/
<http://www.uncwil.edu/people/veit/DEG/>