The System of Language: Grammatical Competence in Education

ITEM 9: THE SYSTEM OF LANGUAGE I

1 - What is Grammatical Competence and its Application in Education?

Communicative competence (speaking, reading, listening, and writing) encompasses various skills, including grammatical competence. Grammatical competence is not just about the rules of a language but also the practical application and strategies for learning. Canale (1985) defines four dimensions of communicative competence: grammatical, sociolinguistic, discursive, and strategic/pragmatic.

Components of Grammatical Competence:

Here's a summary of the components:

1. Phonology: Pronunciation aspects like elisions, speed, intonation, and emphatic contrasts.
2. Spelling: Conventions of writing, including spelling, segmentation, and punctuation.
3. Vocabulary: Common and specialized vocabulary (based on learner needs), understanding word meanings in context, noun and pronoun usage, grammatical functions of words, etc.
4. Morphology (including Syntax):
   • Word formation in context: Inflection of nouns, adjectives, and verbs (gender, number, person, tense, mood, aspect).
   • Relationships in context: Pronouns and nouns, adjectives and nouns, pronouns and verbs, etc.
   • Derivation of new words.
   • Sentence formation:
     • Creating phrases based on common usage and learner interests.
     • Form and structure of sentences in context.
     • Meaning of phrases in context.

Importantly, this description focuses on the skills and procedures learners need to master rather than theoretical grammatical concepts. It emphasizes the practical "know-how" instead of theoretical "knowing."

Grammar Objectives:

The main objective is to develop verbal ability – the use, production, and comprehension of language. Let's focus on the following:

1- Explicit and Implicit Grammar:

Grammar has two basic manifestations: the implicit, subconscious understanding a speaker has of their language, and the explicit, theoretical explanation of how the language works.

Implicit grammar is acquired through language use without conscious awareness of the rules. Explicit grammar involves learning the rules formally through study. It's crucial not to confuse language teaching with linguistic theory. Our students should become proficient language users, not theoretical scholars. Implicit grammar should form the basis of developing students' verbal ability and be the central focus of language activities. These activities should take up most of the class time, as grammar develops through language use, comprehension, and production. Explicit grammar can be a valuable supplement to this practice. A strong foundation in implicit grammar and diverse language experiences can facilitate later explicit reflection, highlighting the importance of practical exercises from the beginning of schooling.

2- Utilities of Grammar:

Besides communication, grammar serves other important functions. Language is a tool for thought and reflection. Syntactic analysis helps learners structure their thinking and distinguish between essential and non-essential information. Grammatical knowledge is also part of a well-rounded education.

3- Current Grammatical Terminology:

Often, changes in grammatical approaches have been limited to updating terminology. Students and teachers have learned to call articles "determiners," predicates "verbal groups," and so on. This can cause confusion rather than clarity. Teachers may be tempted to teach the latest linguistic theories, but students can get lost in the new vocabulary. It's more important to learn to use language elements correctly and understand their function than to learn the latest theoretical terms. Basing a language course solely on the study of sentences is now considered outdated. Regarding parsing, structural descriptive methods, while not the most current theoretical approach, may be more practical and easier to understand.