ENGLISH GRAMMAR I

Unit 1. Language as an object of study: bits and pieces

Grammar Integration Guide #1 (GrIP # 1)

Knowledge of Language and its Scientific Study

How to go about this (and every) guide

1. Download and/or print this guide.

2. Read the overview to get a clearer idea of the topics to be discussed as well as the
relationship among them.

3. If present, read the ‘before reading’ questions to gauge your previous ideas of the topics you
will read about.

4. Read the ‘while reading/viewing’ questions to guide your reading.

5. Jot down any doubts you have to clear them out in class.

6. Go back to the reading material as many times as you need while solving the Remember &
Revise activities.

7. Summarise or write down definitions of key concepts under discussion as well as examples, if
relevant or useful.

8. Use Artificial Intelligence (AI) apps or webs as tools to enhance comprehension. Remember
these have to be used wisely as they do not guarantee complete understanding of the relations
among concepts.

Overview
“[I]n studying language, we're exploring in a fundamental way what it means to be human.”

Poole (2011, p. 1).

This is the first English Grammar course you will have in your course of studies. Of course, the ILI
Grammar course very much paved the way to tackle many of the contents this subject addresses.
Not only does this subject exploit the methodology you are all familiar with but will also deepen on
many of the concepts we have already learnt. So, welcome to this new year with the English
Grammar team!

Before we start studying the specific contents in the syllabus, it is crucial to understand what
Language is, how this knowledge is built and the way in which it becomes available to us. So this
guide is for you to grasp the notion of Language as a system of knowledge, unique to human
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beings that will allow us to understand and produce an infinite number of sentences that are
possible in our language. This said, it is worth pointing out that this capacity sets us apart from all
other species. This unconscious knowledge of language (UKL/KL) enables us to combine sounds
to form words, words to form phrases, and phrases to form sentences. Needless to say, there is a
wild difference between having this knowledge (competence) and applying this knowledge in
concrete situations (performance). So, sometimes, in actual speech production and
comprehension, it is not possible for us to show all that we know, all this potential ability deeply
engraved in our minds. We must remember that, under normal circumstances, slips of the tongue
respond to certain physiological and psychological reasons that limit production due to memory
limitations, tiredness or even nervousness. That is, the fact that we make mistakes (when using
our mother tongue) does not mean we have a true problem in competence, since this is an
unconscious system we have fully acquired.

Bear in mind that these characterizations are important assumptions in the theoretical framework
adopted in this subject, the Generative Program. Thus, since language is an inbuilt1 property of the
mind, as a concrete outcome, it is a complete object worth studying and analysing. Much in this
line of reasoning, all languages spoken in the world are equally valid as all productions stem from
this human cognitive capacity Chomsky called Universal Grammar (UG). UG is proposed as a
module of the mind that contains all the properties, features and principles that govern any human
language. So, every language is a specific selection and combination of these properties, every
human language is a dialect of one big language.

Conceiving language as an innate human capacity dictates how we must study it as it must
necessarily entail the description of a species-specific property. The study of the nature of
language and how it is used is called Linguistics. When linguists (i.e., the people who do
linguistics2) want to describe a language, they make explicit the rules of the grammar that exist in
the minds of the speakers of the language so as to come up with a model of this linguistic capacity.
In this sense, they are constructing a theory about this ability, and this theory is neither right nor
wrong. Much in the same way as the natural sciences describe the world as it is and cannot
propose rules to prescribe or dictate how it should ideally be, the invitation in this subject is to
follow this procedure. Thus, we will describe and investigate language by using the methods of the
natural sciences - formulating hypotheses, testing those hypotheses against data, and analysing
which processes best describe the linguistic phenomena we study.

Finally, even when knowledge of Grammar or knowledge of language includes all of its organizing
principles: information about the sound system (Phonology), about the form of words (Morphology),
how we adjust language according to context (Pragmatics), and so on, this subject will specifically
deal with its syntax, that is, the study of sentence construction: how words group together to make
phrases and sentences. We hope you are ready to explore language from this scientific angle and
grow accustomed to doing, questioning, analysing, connecting ideas, hypothesising, integrating,
and learning on how to assess your thinking on how Language, and particularly, the English
language works.

1
Existing as an original or essential part of something or someone. Synonyms: innate, intrinsic, integral,
incorporated, ingrained.
2
A science which studies languages, their development, transmission, production, acquisition, and
anatomical parallels in different subject-areas. There are different frameworks that propose different views
on how languages work.

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Specific aims

- To discuss linguistic knowledge as an innate capacity that sustains production and

comprehension

- To analyse human language properties as opposed to other communication systems.

- To differentiate between descriptive and prescriptive grammars.

Reading Material3

 romkin, V., Rodman, R. and Hyams, N. (2019). What is Language? In V. Fromkin, R. Rodman and
F
N. Hyams (Eds.), An Introduction to Language (pp.1-22). Cengage.

Resources

Videos

Handke, Jurgen. (2012). Syntax - Generative Grammar (Overview). The Virtual Linguistics Campus
[Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc2bL1z9Wh4

ASL Linguistics. #2 What is Language [Video]. Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4twuluoQGOY

Suhr, Kaia. (2025). How to use Chat PDF. [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzpp-s3OhxU

Further Reading

Sandoval, J. and Denham, K. (2021). Introducing Language Analysis. In J. Sandoval and K.

Denham (Eds). Thinking like a Linguist. An Introduction to the Science of Language. Cambridge
University Press.

GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR THE READING AND WATCHING OF THE ASSIGNED MATERIAL

Before Reading and Watching

1. What do you think you know when you know a language?

2. Do animals communicate in the same way humans do? Is animal communication creative in the
way human language is?

3. Why is it that you cannot explain why an utterance in your mother tongue is wrong even when
you can provide its correct version?

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All reading materials and other resources will be periodically posted on PEDCO as we move on in the
course.
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4. Why can you say that “Me poní las zapatillas” is an ungrammatical production?

While reading

​
1. What is the difference between a human conversation and a chatbot response?

2. What does knowing a language mean to linguists? Are we aware of this knowledge? Is this view
on language the same most people have?

3. What does 'creativity' mean when used to describe Language? Which other properties do all
human languages have?

4. What does grammatical (or well-formed) mean when describing a sentence?

5. A person’s linguistic performance may surpass his linguistic competence. Do you agree with this
statement? Why (not)?

6. In what way does descriptive grammar differ from prescriptive grammar?

7. What is Universal Grammar?

8. Why do children acquire their native language quickly and effortlessly? (p. 14) Why do you think
we refer to this process as acquiring instead of learning?

REMEMBER AND REVISE

1. Read the sentences below and choose the correct option to complete the concepts under
analysis. In some cases, more than 1 option may be possible. To complete this activity and
guide your reading of the material you can use Chat PDF as shown in class.

1. Which of the following is NOT a property of human language?​

a. Displacement​
b. Arbitrariness​
c. Fixed communication patterns ​
d. Productivity

2. How does human language differ from animal communication?​

a. Animals can combine words to form complex sentences.​
b. Human language is infinite and creative, while animal communication is usually limited to fixed
signals.​
c. Any human language repeats a limited number of possible sentences.
d. Animal communication is rule-governed.

3. Which of the following statements about competence is TRUE?​

a. It refers to a speaker’s unconscious knowledge of their language.​
b. It is the same as performance.​

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c. It only includes vocabulary knowledge.​
d. It is limited to written language.

4. What is the main tenet of Universal Grammar (UG)?​

a. All languages share a deep structure that is biologically innate.​
b. All languages have the same vocabulary.​
c. Language is acquired only through imitation and memorization.​
d. Grammar rules are unique to each language with no common features.

5. According to Fromkin, Rodman, and Hyams (2019), why is language considered a

rule-governed system?​
a. Because speakers need to follow explicit rules that cannot be broken.​
b. Because it follows consistent patterns that speakers unconsciously know.​
c. Because every language has different properties and lexical items.​
d. Because language is taught explicitly through formal education.

6. The difference between competence and performance is that:​

a. Competence refers to the unconscious knowledge of a language, while performance is the
actual use of language in real situations.​
b. Competence is about speaking skills, while performance is about writing skills.​
c. Performance refers to knowing a language’s grammar, while competence is using it in
conversation.​
d. There is no real difference between the two terms.

7. A prescriptive grammar approach to language would emphasize:​

a. Describing how native speakers use language in daily life.​
b. Correcting and enforcing specific rules for speaking and writing.​
c. Analyzing the historical development of a language.​
d. Studying only spoken dialects.

8. Which of the following is an example of descriptive grammar?​

a. Telling a student that “ain’t” is not a word and should not be used.​
b. Teaching that one must always use “whom” instead of “who” in object position.
c. Noting that some English dialects use double negatives as a grammatical feature.​
d. Correcting someone for starting a sentence with “and.”

2. Considering the reading material, look at the definitions below and match them to the
subfields in Linguistics. To help you do so, underline the key words that help you to see
which subfield it is. Provide the definition for the missing subfield.

Morphology - Phonetics - Phonology - Syntax - Pragmatics - Semantics

Language and the scientific study of language, known as linguistics, is divided into several
subfields and each one examines different aspects of language structure and use.

____________ is the study of speech sounds, particularly their production, transmission, and
perception. It examines the physical properties of sounds, how they are articulated, and how they

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are perceived by the listener. For instance, there is a distinction in vocal cord vibration between the
sounds [p] in pat and [b] in bat because while [b] is voiced, [p] is voiceless. Another difference in
pronunciation is between the [s] sound in miss and the [ʒ] sound in measure, which results from
variations in articulatory placement.

____________ explores the systematic organization of sounds within a particular language,

including the rules governing sound combinations. For example, in English, the /ŋ/ sound, as in
sing, never appears at the beginning of words. These rules help learners recognize patterns in
pronunciation and avoid common errors.

____________ is the study of morphemes, that is to say, the smallest units of functional and/or
lexical meaning in a language and how they combine to form words. Understanding this linguistic
field helps learners when forming words like unfairness, which consists of the morphemes un-
(prefix meaning not), fair (root word), and -ness (a suffix that turns adjectives into nouns). Another
example is verb conjugation in the verb walked, which has the past-tense morpheme -ed added to
the verb walk.

____________ deals with meaning and the analysis of how words and phrases convey meaning
individually and in context. Words such as bank can refer to a financial institution or the side of a
river. This field also examines figurative language, such as metaphors. In the sentence Time is
money, the word time is used in a valuable sense rather than a literal comparison.

____________ studies language use in real-world contexts, focusing on implied meanings,

politeness, and conversational dynamics. Phrases like Can you open the window? or Could you
pass the salt? are typically understood as a request rather than a literal inquiry about ability or as a
polite request, although it is framed as a question.

____________ examines sentence structure and the rules that govern how words combine to form
phrases and how phrases combine to form sentences, as well as grammaticality. For example,
while The cat sat on the mat is a grammatical structure in English, Mat the on sat cat the is not.
This field also explains subject-verb agreement, as in She plays the piano versus the *She play the
piano.

APPLY

3.1. Read the cartoons and memes below and match them to the module of Language they
deal with. Be ready to state why.

SYNTAX - MORPHOLOGY - SEMANTICS- PHONETICS - PHONOLOGY - PRAGMATICS

1.​ 2.

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3. 4.

5. 6.

ANALYZE

4. Analyze the claims below and state whether they can be ascribed to a prescriptive or
descriptive view of language. Be ready to justify your choice for each claim.

1. Don’t start your sentence with ‘and’. ​

2. Adjectives do not inflect for number in English.

3. Don't use 'don't' with third person singular subjects.

4. In Spanish, verbs in the preterite (pretérito perfecto simple) with second person singular subjects
never end in -s (#llegastes, #dormistes, etc.)

5. In some Spanish varieties, the suffixes -s or -n can be added to indicate plural number in the
indefinite negative polarity pronoun nadie.

6. Avoid contractions in formal standard English.

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7. Words can take affixes. Prefixes are attached word-initially and they add substantial meaning.

References

Barrie, J. (2014). Ancient Grammar Police. Writing without waffle.

https://writingwithoutwaffle.com/ancient-grammar-police-2/

Language Nerds. [Publicación]. Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/thelanguagenerds?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Stutz, Wade. [Publicación]. Pinterest.

https://ar.pinterest.com/pin/414049759462467939/

Aux. [Publicación].
https://auxteam.com/blog/the-agony-and-ecstasy-of-memes/