My grammar question is:
How important is grammar for language and also for communication (especially for second language speakers)- couldn´t we communicate without grammar?
posted by Anonymous @ 3:27 PM
7 comments
Monday, April 09, 2007
How important is grammar for language and also for communication (especially for second language speakers)- couldn´t we communicate without grammar?
7 Comments:
This is a good question. I think that we can communicate well enough without grammar up to a certain point. However, I think that complicated concepts would be difficult to communicate if we didn't not have a standard of grammar to go by.
It is impossible to communicate without grammar because every decision we make about word order is related to the grammar rules we are following, even if they are incorrect rules that we have developed over time. Whether it is possible to communicate without "correct" grammar I do not know. It is interesting to consider that "correct" grammar probably became called that because it was the most common. So, for everyone to use incorrect grammar, no one could use the same "incorrect" rules (because using the same rules is how the rules become "correct").
I absolutely think we could communicate without grammar. But I think grammar serves as a sort of guideline as to how people should speak to better understand one another. I think it would be possible to communicate without grammar, but it would be a lot more difficult.
That's an interesting question. If we take grammar to the morpheme and phoneme level, then YES you need grammar to talk. May I pose a further question?...what would speaking sound like without grammar? eh. Let me try......... .......I have no idea. Since grammar is composed of sounds (phonemes) and meanings (morphemes) I would say that you need sound and meaning to communicate. Well, maybe with telepathy, but then I think you would still need meaning, or maybe it's feeling. hmmmmmm.
I'm just going to address the second language component of your question. Grammar is very important for second language speakers. I'm not sure how important if the second language is English. I studied Spanish and their grammar rules are very rigid and set, while ours, on the other hand, are really weird and messed up. Of course it may be different with another language, but at least with Spanish, you learn the rules, you memorize them and you're set. In English there are so many instances of "loopholes" or exceptions to the rule, that I find it frustrating, and I speak English! Imagine how hard it is for the immigrants who come here.
I think a basic understanding of grammar is essential to communicate. Depending on what your message is, you could structure your sentence in different ways. When you try to convey ideas to some one and there isn't a common language, you really appreciate verbs, adjectives, modal auxilaries etc.
I definitely feel you need grammar to communicate. Even if you are not maintaining to a strict set of grammatical rules that we would find in this class, they way you are talking creates its own grammar in itself. Grammar is what makes clear and understandable communication possible. As far as the second language is concerned I agree with grammar gal. Their must be some sort of guidelines put in plkace so people can learn the proper way to communicate in different cultures.
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