Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-qxdb6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T08:27:39.644Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

13 - Grammar and good language learners

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 August 2009

Get access

Summary

According to Rubin (1975), good language learners attend to form (often called “grammar”). Bachman's (1990) model of language competence defines grammar as including vocabulary, morphology, syntax, phonology and graphology, while Purpura (2004) also suggests that we need to view grammar in its broadest sense as including everything speakers know about their language – the sound system (phonology), the system of meanings (semantics), the rules of word formation (morphology), the rules of sentence formation (syntax) as well as an appreciationof vocabulary. Halliday (1994) stresses the functional use of grammar to talk about experiences, to interact with others and to fit in with a wider context. Although these definitions serve to provide a comprehensive view which is in line with current broad views of grammar, aspects of language competence such as vocabulary and phonology are dealt with separately in this volume. For this reason, this chapter will deal with grammar in the narrower sense of “the structure of a language” (Richards, Platt and Platt, 1992, p. 161) and as a set of rules that define how words or parts of words are combined or change to form acceptable units which can be used to convey meaning within a language (Ur, 2003). In language teaching, the view that grammar plays a central role in the language curriculum is often firmly held (Purpura, 2004).

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×