Question 3,4,5

Seth Richardson
Mandie Davis
Adam Colin
Mackenzie Ditto
3. “You get a picture of this gallant little band of the last literates going down to defeat with ‘Warriner’s Grade Four Grammar’ in one hand and ‘ Best-Loved Poems of College English Departments’ in the other…Though our popularizers of good grammar…think they are defending standards and traditions, they keep attacking idioms that are centuries old.”
a. The sentence is describing prescriptive grammar. The teachers are using textbooks to define how someone should speak properly.
b. The author seems to be a proponent of generative grammar. He describes how people, especially teachers, are using rulebooks and guidelines to dictate what defines proper grammar instead of focusing on “…idioms that are centuries old.” The idioms he is describing are essentially regional dialect, etc.
4. In the movie Runing on Empty, one character says of his mother, “I said: ‘I wish it was easier’ and she said: ‘You wish it were easier!’ She’s correcting my grammar like one of the kids she teaches.” What type of grammar does the mother teach: prescriptive, descriptive, generative, or contextual?
The mother is describing prescriptive grammar. She is using textbook skills to correct the sentence even though in the regional dialect and conversational tone, the “incorrect grammar” may be considered correct.
5. Consider the three following sentences:
A. John hurt himself.
B. John hurt hisself.
C. John hurt heself.
a. What would a prescriptive grammarian say about these sentences, if anything?
A. It is short, but correct.
B. It is incorrect
C. It is incorrect
b. What would a descriptive grammarian say about these sentences, if anything?
A. It is structurally correct
B. It is structurally correct, however the word hisself is slightly odd
C. It is structurally correct, however the word heself is slightly odd
c. What would a generative grammarian say about these sentences, if anything?
A. It is a fundamentally sound, intelligent sentence
B. The sentence works in a casual setting so long as the regional dialect applies
C. The sentence works in a casual setting so long as the regional dialect applies
d. What would a contextual grammarian say about these sentences, if anything?
A. It gets the message across in an intelligent way
B. It gets the message across in some social settings, however may not apply to all people
C. It gets the message across in some social settings, however may not apply to all people
Definitions:
Emma Cherry said...
Grammar is the way that people in different cultures and societies determine their speaking and writing orders. It is very important in defining certain languages.
Dr. Voss said...
Grammar is the correct formation of words to construct a sentence. Improper use of grammar can take the meaning of a sentence and completely change it. Using correct grammar allows for the writer to clearly illustrate ideas in a concise and deliberate manner.
Kelcey said...
Grammar is speaking correctly and the rules of the English language.