Ten Types of Grammar

Different Ways of Analyzing the Structures and Functions of Language

By Richard Nordquist, About.com Guide
Filed In:

English Grammar

Sponsored Links

Instant Grammar CheckerCorrect All Grammar Errors And Enhance Your Writing. Try Now!www.Grammarly.com/Grammar_Checker

Learn English CoursesBrowse the official govt. website. Download full brochures for free!www.StudyAdelaide.com/Australia

Can You Speak English?Earn $150 a day or more translating simple documents from home!RealTranslatorJobs.com
Grammar & Composition Ads

English Grammar
English Language
Proper Grammar
Grammar Exercises
Grammar Check

Sponsored Links

aatalcomputer assisted language learning Technology & language learningwww.aatal.org/

English for StudentsPrepare to Enter Your University Study English in Toronto, CanadaSchoolOfEnglish.org.uk

So you think you know grammar? All well and good, but which type of grammar do you know?

Linguists are quick to remind us that there are different varieties of grammar--that is, different ways of describing and analyzing the structures and functions of language.

One basic distinction worth making is that between descriptive grammar and prescriptive grammar (also called usage). Both are concerned with rules--but in different ways. Specialists in descriptive grammar examine the rules or patterns that underlie our use of words, phrases, clauses, and sentences. In contrast, prescriptive grammarians (such as most editors and teachers) try to enforce rules about what they believe to be the correct uses of language.

But that's just the beginning. Consider these ten varieties of grammar--and take your pick.

Comparative Grammar
The analysis and comparison of the grammatical structures of related languages. Contemporary work in comparative grammar is concerned with "a faculty of language that provides an explanatory basis for how a human being can acquire a first language . . .. In this way, the theory of grammar is a theory of human language and hence establishes the relationship among all languages." (R. Freidin, Principles and Parameters in Comparative Grammar. MIT Press, 1991)

Generative Grammar
The rules determining the structure and interpretation of sentences that speakers accept as belonging to the language. "Simply put, a generative grammar is a theory of competence: a model of the psychological system of unconscious knowledge that underlies a speaker's ability to produce and interpret utterances in a language." (F. Parker and K. Riley, Linguistics for Non-Linguists. Allyn and Bacon, 1994)

Mental Grammar
The generative grammar stored in the brain that allows a speaker to produce language that other speakers can understand. "All humans are born with the capacity for constructing a Mental Grammar, given linguistic experience; this capacity for language is called the Language Faculty (Chomsky, 1965). A grammar formulated by a linguist is an idealized description of this Mental Grammar." (P. W. Culicover and A. Nowak, Dynamical Grammar: Foundations of Syntax II. Oxford Univ. Press, 2003)

Pedagogical Grammar
Grammatical analysis and instruction designed for second-language students. "Pedaogical grammar is a slippery concept. The term is commonly used to denote (1) pedagogical process--the explicit treatment of elements of the target language systems as (part of) language teaching methodology; (2) pedagogical content--reference sources of one kind or another that present information about the target language system; and (3) combinations of process and content." (D. Little, "Words and Their Properties: Arguments for a Lexical Approach to Pedagaogical Grammar." Perspectives on Pedagogical Grammar, ed. by T. Odlin. Cambridge Univ. Press, 1994)

Performance Grammar
A description of the syntax of English as it is actually used by speakers in dialogues. "[P]erformance grammar . . . centers attention on language production; it is my belief that the problem of production must be dealt with before problems of reception and comprehension can properly be investigated." (John Carroll, "Promoting Language Skills." Perspectives on School Learning: Selected Writings of John B. Carroll, ed. by L. W. Anderson. Erlbaum, 1985)

Reference Grammar
A description of the grammar of a language, with explanations of the principles governing the construction of words, phrases, clauses, and sentences. Examples of contemporary reference grammars in English include A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, by Randolph Quirk et al. (1985), the Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English (1999), and The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (2002).

Theoretical Grammar
The study of the essential components of any human language. "Theoretical grammar or syntax is concerned with making completely explicit the formalisms of grammar, and in providing scientific arguments or explanations in favour of one account of grammar rather than another, in terms of a general theory of human language." (A. Renouf and A. Kehoe, The Changing Face of Corpus Linguistics. Rodopi, 2003)

Traditional Grammar
The collection of prescriptive rules and concepts about the structure of the language. "We say that traditional grammar is prescriptive because it focuses on the distinction between what some people do with language and what they ought to do with it, according to a pre-established standard. . . . The chief goal of traditional grammar, therefore, is perpetuating a historical model of what supposedly constitutes proper language." (J. D. Williams, The Teacher's Grammar Book. Routledge, 2005)

Transformational Grammar
A theory of grammar that accounts for the constructions of a language by linguistic transformations and phrase structures. "In transformational grammar, the term 'rule' is used not for a precept set down by an external authority but for a principle that is unconsciously yet regularly followed in the production and interpretation of sentences. A rule is a direction for forming a sentence or a part of a sentence, which has been internalized by the native speaker." (D. Bornstein, An Introduction to Transformational Grammar. Univ. Press of America, 1984)

Universal Grammar
The system of categories, operations, and principles shared by all human languages and considered to be innate. "Taken together, the linguistic principles of Universal Grammar constitute a theory of the organization of the initial state of the mind/brain of the language learner--that is, a theory of the human faculty for language." (S. Crain and R. Thornton, Investigations in Universal Grammar. MIT Press, 2000)

If ten varieties of grammar aren't enough for you, rest assured that new grammars are emerging all the time. There's word grammar, for instance. And relational grammar. And that brings to mind arc pair grammar. Not to mention cognitive grammar, lexical functional grammar, head-driven phrase structure grammar . . . and many more.
More About Grammar

What Is Grammar?
Why Does Grammar Matter?
Descriptive and Prescriptive Grammar

Language Basics

What Is Language?
Six Common Myths About Language
What Is Standard English?

The History of the English Language

Key Dates in the History of the English Language
The Earliest English Dictionaries
Introduction to Etymology

Related Articles

What Is Grammar - Descriptive and Prescriptive Grammar - Definitions of Gra...
Make-Believe Grammar, by Gertrude Buck - Classic Essays and Articles on the...
Introduction - An English Grammar - W. M. Baskervill
grammar - definition and examples of grammar
generative grammar - definition and examples of transformational generative...

Richard Nordquist

Richard Nordquist
Grammar & Composition Guide

Sign up for My Newsletter

Headlines
Forum

Advertisement
Sponsored Links

Want to learn French?Kick-start your French in no time with our fun, free websitewww.tv5.org/premiereclasse

Belajar Bahasa dan WisataBelajar bahasa dan wisata sekaligus Tujuan:Australia,US,UK dan Peranciswww.ef.com

Kuis Hikmah PuasaBersama Hikmah Puasa, Ikuti Kuisnya Raih Galaxy Tab & Voucher Belanja!hikmahpuasa.com

Learn EnglishStudy English as a Second Language English in New York @ Times Squarewww.sai2000.org
Related Searches mental grammar comparative grammar generative grammar prescriptive grammar allyn and bacon unconscious knowledge
Explore Grammar & Composition
Must Reads

Seven Secrets to Success in English 101
400 Essay Topics
The Worst Student Essay Topics
Tips to Improve Your Writing
How to Navigate Grammar & Composition

Most Popular

metaphor
Top 20 Figures of Speech
figures of speech
simile
imperative sentence

Free Grammar & Composition Newsletter!
By Category

Writing Tips
Business Writing
Correcting Errors
English Grammar
Punctuation & Mechanics
Composing Sentences
Words

Composing Paragraphs
Composing Essays
Rhetoric and Style
Readings and Resources
Exercises and Quizzes
Grammar & Rhetoric Glossary

About.com
Grammar & Composition

Home
Education
Grammar & Composition
English Grammar
Ten Types of Grammar - Different Ways of Analyzing Language Structures and Functions - English Grammar and Usage

Most Popular
Latest Articles
RSS

Advertise on About.com
Our Story
News & Events
Work at About
SiteMap
All Topics
Reprints
Help

Write for About
User Agreement
Ethics Policy
Patent Info.
Privacy Policy
Your Ad Choices

©2011 About.com. All rights reserved.

A part of The New York Times Company.

Learn English Tenses

Hello and welcome to EnglishTensesWithCartoons.com!

A few years ago, when I was studying English, I thought to myself: "Wouldn't it be great if there was a website focused solely on the English tenses?". The subject of English Tenses is a vast and difficult one, so surely it deserves its own special place on the Internet! This is how this website was born.
I'm writing a book
[ one of the new interactive stories ]

To make the website more interesting, I enriched each of the 12 tenses with some funny animations (cartoons).

So, what is the goal of ETC? In short, to make learning the 12 English tenses as easy as possible!

At this stage, ETC is useful, but it still needs some work. So, your contribution is highly appreciated!

Cheers,
Mark
Browse Irregular Verbs Alphabetically
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
New exercises

Present Continuous (based on the article)
Present Continuous exercise
Present Perfect Simple vs Present Perfect Continuous
Present Continuous questions
Present Continuous negative sentences
Have or Has exercise
Past tenses advanced test
Past Perfect and Past Perfect Progressive test
Past Perfect Continuous Exercise
Past Simple, Past Perfect and Past Continuous exercise

Partner sites

Learn English Visually
Fisher Investments Linkedin
English Students Need To Speak English!

Any questions? I will help you! || Exercises || Contact us || Privacy policy