INTRODUCTION
There are various ways in which we can study the combinations of words and groups of words into meaningful sentences in languages. These various ways of looking at word and group combinations are generally referred to as “models”, and the different combinations of words and groups of words as “grammars”. This is why we talk about “models of grammatical analysis”. A model may therefore be said to be a way in which something is done, a design of structure of which many copies or reproductions are (to be) made. In the context of this course, we use the term “model” to mean away of doing something, or away of studying word combinations in English.
With regard to the term “grammar”, we can say that it is a body of rules which spells out how words and groups of words or sounds in particular languages combine to form grammatical and meaningful words and sentences of that language. It is important for words and groups of words in sentences to be related one to another: They must “hang together for the sentence to be meaningful” (Eka, p.16). That is why Koutsoudas (p.4) says that “a grammar is a finite set of rules which enumerates (i.e. generates) an infinite number of grammatical sentences of a language”. Thus, it is grammar which states the rules of word and sentence formation in languages of the world.
Sometimes we talk about grammar in relation to how the words and sentences in individual languages are formed. Different languages of the world organize the speech sounds, which occur in them into words in different ways. Also, different languages have different ways of arranging the words which occur in them in ways different from the arrangements which occur in other languages. These are referred to as particular grammars of the languages concerned.
Since classical times, various models have evolved at different periods during the development of grammar and language studies. These models represent the proponents’ view of the forms and the structure of language. This module will examine some grammatical models as well as their individual features, strengths and weaknesses. We begin with the Traditional grammar model.
3.1 The Concept of Grammar
Traditional grammar as we know it today may be said to have its origins in the work of Greek philosophers – the Conventionalists and the Naturalists – of the 5th century BC. These philosophers used to include language (grammar) as a part of their philosophical studies. The Naturalists held the view that there is a one-to-one link between the words in language and the things that those words stand for. For instance, the Naturalists believed that there is a correspondence between the word pen and the object in the natural world that the word represents. The Conventionalists on the other hand were of the view that words do not have any relationship with the objects the words refer to. They rather believed that users of a language agree on what name(s) to give to objects.
Other groups of philosophers emerged from these earlier two. They were called the Analogists and the Anomalists. These philosophers also developed their ideas about grammar and language. However, as time went on it no longer mattered whether the ideas put forward b the Naturalists/Analogists were true or those proposed by the conventionalists/Anomalists. These different groups of philosophers later based their studies of language on both the ideas advanced by the two groups of philosophers, since as they came to realize, they were all studying language. Grammar as we now know and study, developed from the initial efforts of philosophers during the Classical period. Traditional (or Classical grammar as it is sometimes also called) became the immediate initial outcome of studying language by Greek philosophers.
3.2 Traditional (Classical) Grammar
From the presentation of the concept of grammar in 3.0 above, it would be clear that it has its roots in the work of early Greek philosophers. Following from this Traditional grammar may be said to refer “to the rules of a language written and influenced by Classical Greek scholars.” (Baugh and Cable, 1951). It derived largely from Greek scholars and includes the prescriptive approach of the eighteen century grammarians.
Traditional grammar was initially designed to teach Latin language to foreigners; however, at the sametime as the Latin language flourished in Europe, the English language was also developing. Since there was an already developed grammar of Latin in existence and in use, this grammar was used in teaching the English language. This resulted in the fact that English grammar was written and studied based on the rules, forms and structure of Latin grammar. Consequently, some concepts that are peculiar to Latin language were borrowed into and imposed on English. An example of one such borrowings is the case system, which is a feature of Latin language, but carried over into English. Latin language has six categories in its case system. They are the Nominative case, the Dative case, the Vocative case, the Accusative case, the Ablative case and the Oblique case.
Traditional grammar emphasized correctness and strict rule adherence. This led to the demarcation of the words in language into eight parts of speech: Noun, Pronoun, Verb, Adjective, Adverb, Preposition, Conjunction and Interjection. The parts of speech have the following definitions:
•Noun: A noun is the name of a person, place or thing.
•Pronoun: A pronoun replaces a noun in a sentence
•Verb: It serves as an action word
•Adverb: It modifies a verb
•Adjective: It modifies a noun
•Conjunction: It links two constituents
•Preposition: It shows the relationship between two entitles referred to in a sentence
•Interjection: It carries emotion
Baugh and Cable (1951) note that these parts of speech, which were evolved by traditional grammarians were modelled after Priscian’s adaptation of Greek grammar to Latin.
Traditional grammarians tended to prescribe usage rules for English; that is, this model of grammar used to state how the English language should be used. The following are some of the usage rules prescribed by Traditional grammar for English:
•The modal auxiliary was to be used only with the first person pronouns. I/We, not with pronouns in other persons, e.g. You or They as in ‘You shall represent the Governor at that meeting’ .
•Prepositions must not end sentences. This rule was a carry-over from classical grammar. E.g. ‘she was the one they came to’ .
•Do not begin a sentence with “because” e.g. ‘Because you were not there,the election did not take place’
•Do not use split infinitives e.g. ‘My wife does not like to have other people cook for her’
•Do not use double negatives e.g. ‘You are going nowhere’
Adherence to the above rules was considered “correct” and “proper” usage, and non-compliance was considered “bad grammar”. Owing to this tendency for Traditional grammarians to spell out how English should be spoken and written, it is known as Prescriptive grammar.
Within the framework of Traditional grammar sentence analysis involved mainly clause analysis and parsing (Rulka, 1962, p.27). This process involved the breaking down of sentences into the subject part and the Predicate part, and the identification of the relations between a noun in subject position and the Verb. This relation they describe as the Subject – Verb relation. Another relation which traditional grammarians identified among words which occur in sentences is the Verb-Object relation.
3.3 Strengths and Weaknesses of Traditional Grammar
•Traditional grammar established the eight parts of speech. These parts of speech were established in English and other languages and are still in use in linguistic discourse till date. Moreover, the Subject-Verb, Verb-Object relations as well as Case, Mood and other categories apply in most languages of the world.
•Another strength of Traditional grammar is that it is the most widely used model for teaching the English language especially in Africa (Wallwork 1969, Lamidi 2000). It is also considered to be the easiest form of understanding the grammar of English.
•Traditional grammarians were the first to identify the structural relations which hold among sentence constituents. Also, the concept of the sentence was defined as a complete thought and classified into statements. Questions and Commands are original to traditional grammar. These classifications have remained till today.
Despite the advantages of the Traditional grammar model, there are many criticisms leveled against it. The following are some of them:
•Its prescriptive nature. The tendency to prescribe rules for languages was a major weakness of this model of grammar. Modern scholars of language studies observe the behaviour of languages and describe them.
•Traditional grammar is also criticized for not adopting scientific methods in studying language. Their studies were not empirical such that the claims they that were made about languages forms, structure and behaviour were based on intuitions.
•Traditional grammar did not view individual languages as unique linguistic systems, but was more concerned with legislating on how people should speak and write that language. (Ndimele,p.78).
•Another weakness of traditional grammar relates to its definition of parts of speech. For example, the definition of verbs as action words is inconsistent with similar terms in English. If verbs are action words, what actions do words like “seem”, “appear” “is”, “been”, etc express? Moreover, it would be difficult to classify the English words “dare”, “need”, “fire” as nouns or verbs since they are capable of being used as either nouns or verbs.
•Traditional grammar is not explicit enough to account for the numerous ways in which natural languages function. For example, Traditional grammar can not explain what is involved in passivisation or relativisation.
SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE
Mention two ways that you think Traditional grammar is relevant to the grammars we study today.
4.0 CONCLUSION
Traditional grammar can be viewed as the foundation for subsequent grammatical theories. The concept of grammar has since developed from studying relationships between words and the objects they represent, and prescribing rules of use to describing relationships between the words or group of words themselves, rules that produce various sentence types, and how grammar relates to meaning.
5.0 SUMMARY
In this unit, you have learnt
•that philosophers, not linguists first studied language and evolved grammar .
•the first approach to the study of language- Traditional grammar
•the ways that Traditional grammar works; about its advantages and disadvantages.
ANSWER TO SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE
The two ways that Traditional grammar maybe said to be relevant to the grammar we study today are:
1. It provided the basis of studying human language; it provided the framework known today as grammar.
2. It evolved the system of classifying words into parts of speech, a system which is still in use today.
6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT
To what extent would you say that Traditional grammar has contributed to how language can be studied today?
7.0 REFERENCES/FURTHER READINGS
Baugh, A. C. and Thomas Cable (1951). A History of the English
Language. London: Routeledge.
Eka, David (1994). Elements of Grammar and Mechanics of the English. Language, Uyo: Samuf (Nig.) Ltd.
Koutsoudas, A. (1966). Writing Transformational Grammars, London: Longman.
Lamidi, M. T. (2000). Aspects of Chomskyan Grammar. Ibadan: Emman Publications.
Wallwork, J. F. (1989). Language and Linguistics, London:
Heinemann.
Ndimele, O. M. (1992). The Parameters of Universal Grammar: A Government - Binding Approach. Owerri: African Educational Services.
Rulka, C. (1962). An English Course for West African Secondary Schools. London: Macmillan.
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