Re: Grammar in HS (Was: Re: Argument Structures)

----- Original Message -----
From: Nik Taylor <fortytwo@...>
To: <CONLANG@...>
Sent: Thursday, August 24, 2000 4:16 AM
Subject: Re: Grammar in HS (Was: Re: Argument Structures)


> nicole perrin wrote:
> > Maybe this is a silly question, but is grammar of one's native
langauge
> > taught in countries other than the US?  Because here almost
everyone
> > grows up without knowing even what subject and object are.
>
> Where's "here" for you, because that's CERTAINLY not my experience.
I
> vividly remember detesting English class.  :-)  Of course, it was
> largely rote learning of what subjects and stuff were, and being
> constantly told that the way we normally spoke was wrong, that in
itself
> made me detest it, I didn't like being told how to talk.
>
Well, over "here" (UK) I didn't learn any of that. I remember that my
French teacher was always annoyed because no one knew ANYTHING about
grammar, we had some people who couldn't reliably distinguish a verb
from a noun. (I don't mean identify them in sentences like "time flies
....", they couldn't remember the difference.)
Although I'm not keen on rote memorisation, I feel a little more
grammar would have been a good thing.

JJ