The Teaching of Grammar by Otto Jeppersen

Article                         : The Teaching of Grammar by Otto Jeppersen

Date Published            : 20/12/2008, The English Journal          

  

The purpose of this article is to attain how to approach the ideal of teaching grammar. The author asserts that teaching grammar should be made as interesting and stimulating as possible, as easy and simple as possible, concrete instead of abstract, useful and at the same time scientifically sound. It is in contrast to teaching pure grammar which is abstract, lifeless and has no practical value at all. Pure grammar concerns with the essential modes of thought of all peoples; whatever languages they may speak and although the languages have changed, the structure of their thought remains the same. In other word, pure grammar treats all languages alike, hiding away the differences between them. Realizing that the grammatical forms vary from language to language; pure grammar is then identified with a grammar of function which seems universally same. Consequently, teaching pure grammar pays too much attention to definitions which are neither exhaustive nor true. The author argues that if grammar is to be real grammar, it must face the realities of life; teaching grammar is to teach the way in which native speaker express their thoughts and build up their sentences. In order to do that learner must take into account all three elements: not only its functions but also its forms and inner meanings which are inseparable.So, the best way of teaching English grammar is teaching concrete English grammar, not abstract grammar in the clouds. It should deal with the children's own language and show them how that is constructed, and how it serves to express thoughts which the children can understand. They should be made unconsciously see the rules they have already learned and follow unconsciously; and these rules should not be given to them as something to be learned by rote, but as far as possible they must be discovered by the pupils themselves under the guidance of the teacher. In sum, teaching grammar is absolutely to be preferred to the deductive method.

The author put himself in contrast to theory of teaching pure grammar which treats all languages alike; hiding away the differences between them. Consequently teaching pure grammar is abstract, lifeless, and has no practical value at all. He then purposes his opinion that teaching grammar should be real; teaching grammar is to teach the way in which native speaker express their thoughts and build up their sentences.

I think that teaching real grammar is only useful for native speaker because real teaching grammar deals with the children's own language as a base on teaching grammar by showing them how the language is constructed, and how it serves to express thoughts which the children can understand. Yet, for second and foreign language learners, teaching pure grammar will have great benefit to increase the rate of language attainment by making them aware of structural regularities and formal properties of the target language which have been standardized by pure grammar.

        

    Mostly, in Indonesia, teachers teach pure grammar. They teach students the standard of English. It’s true that, in practice, teaching pure grammar is abstract, lifeless and has no practical value at all. However, it is useful to give students a base pattern for producing and understanding utterances.