Classical grammar (ancient time- 1840-1850)
Grammar includes morphology and syntax.
Grammar can be practical (applied) and theoretical
The aim of p.g. is to systematized grammar rules that help us to understand and constructs speech
The aim of Th.g.is quiet different. Its to disrobe upper levels of the language system that provides explanations for the existing rules. It also claims to explain exception from the rules.
Morphologydeals with the inner structure of words, grammatical categories and parts of speech division
Syntax deals with rules of combining words into longer units: and with description on syntactic relations that exist in speech.
Grammar deals with 3 types of relationsand these relations are studied but different linguistic disciplines
| type of relation | approach to language study | linguistic discipline |
| between a language unit and an object in the world | semantic | semantics |
| between a unit and other units | syntactic | syntax |
| between unit and a person who uses it | pragmatic | pragmatics |
· Development of Grammar theory
Emotion of grammar theory.
1) Classical grammar (ancient time- 1840-1850)
2) Historical- comparative grammar (1850- beg. Of the 20th century)
3) Generative- transformational grammar (since 50-s)
4) Semantic trends in grammar (since 60-s- 70-s)
5) Text (textual) grammar (since the 60-s)
6) Functional grammar (pragmatics) (since the 70-s- 80-s)
Grammar theory goes back to ancient times. It’s usually stated that the first grammarian was Aristotle. He introduced the notion of subject and predicate, theme and rheme and introduced first parts of speech classification. The first classical period was characterized by accumulation of disconnected facts about language. It was useful but there were some limitations. The basic conception was wrong. They believed that “grammar is direct reflection of logic and thinking”
The notions of logic and language are connected but not directly. The laws of logic are universal because they characterize human thinking but languages are different. They may be of different types and the way they express meaning can be different for different languages. But it doesn’t mean that some languages are better or more expressive. But classical grammar treated some languages like Latin or Greek or Sanskrit as model languages (языки эталоны, совершенные языки). Their structures was considered to be perfect and the closer some language was to Latin (Greek0 the better it was considered to be. It’s a kind of language chauvinism that can hardly be accepted. That’s why this approach isn’t acceptable.
2) Historical- comparative grammar (1850- the beginning of the 20th century) (сравнительно-историческое языкознание)
Historical- comparative grammar was called so because linguists studied genetically related languages and mainly focused on historical changes and development. It was the time of many interesting discoveries that now belong to the history of languages. (Different complicated laws- Greed’s law The essence of this development consists of the pattern. If we have some phenomenon in old period then in the middle period we have some other phenomenon Neet [i:]- nicht[i]- nicht[ai]- great vowel ship. These historical changes aren’t occasional. There is some system then)
But there was also some limitations in this approach as well. Now it’s criticize for being atomistic (occasional). Only fragmentary facts were described
3) Structural linguistics (the beginning of the 20th century)
At the beginning of the 20th century the modern period of grammar started. Now the language was treated as a holistic system with its own laws and functions. The structure of language was in the center of attention. That’s why it was later called structural. Working in this sphere Fartinov, Bedouin de Courtney, F.de Saussure.
· Basic notions of structural linguistic