> Terminology constitutes a
> foreign language without knowledge of which, the students cannot join
> the conversation.
> Emily Wilson-Orzechowski

I recall a discussion on this list a few weeks ago about begging the
question.  Emily, I think you're begging the question here.  Bill's
point is precisely this one:  Is there a conversation going on (about
grammar) that students want to or need to join in?

Just as my friend the math professor enjoys teaching calculus to
students who are motivated (for any of a variety of reasons) to learn
it, I enjoy teaching the intricacies of grammatical analysis to a
similar sub-set of students.

I like the questions raised by Judy Diamond: Should we not
develop an intriguing, motivating, meaningful, inquiry-based method
of teaching a grammar of English which is useful in analyzing
whole texts?  --a grammar that could be reinforced across the
curriculum because it is so useful in other disciplines?  However,
do we have to face the facts that only a few people in our society
need to be experts in wielding grammatical terminology?  Is Bill
right that grammar is like calculus--very useful to future engineers,
computer scientists, physicists, et al (who encounter calculus
outside the math class in their other coursework)-- but something
that the rest of us don't really need to know?  I used to think that
the kind of grammar that Judy described would be exciting to
introduce to school children, but now I am not really sure whether it
would "take" any better than the traditional types of grammar that
were once taught.  Having expressed my own doubts, I look forward to
reading others' opinions on this subject.


R. Michael Medley, Ph.D.
Director, Intensive English Program
Eastern Mennonite University
Harrisonburg, VA 22802
Office: (540) 432-4051
Home: (540) 574-4277