Discourse analysis

Lesson 1 What is “Discourse”

☺☺☺ Activity 1. What is “Grammar”? Work in groups. Think about in what kind of context the word “Grammar’ is used. Work in groups, discuss and make a list of at least four definitions to the word “Grammar”.




GRAMMAR


Why it is difficult to define the word “Grammar”.
Word “grammar” seems to mean different things to different people. Linguists use the word in their study of language to describe how syntactic and structural systems operate, but the word is also used in numerous other contexts, both in a general and a specific sense
For instance, Collins COBUILD English Dictionary and the Cambridge International Dictionary of English give definitions of grammar which include:

• 
  the rules of a language (the system)
  
• 
  a book containing the rules (a grammar book)
  
• 
  the study of the rules (the subject called grammar)
  

☺☺ Activity 2. Work in pairs

1. 
   Look at the sentences below. Work in groups what do you think the word “Grammar” refers to in each of them? Is it the same case in each case?
   

1. 
   I don’t mind so much about pronunciation, it’s grammar that annoys me.
   
2. 
   She’s writing grammar of Romanian.
   
3. 
   English grammar is not very complicated.
   
4. 
   Look it up in “Grammar” book.
   
5. 
   A child’s “Grammar” develops from a very early age.
   
6. 
   I don’t teach grammar any more, I teach functions.
   
7. 
   We studied grammar at school.
   
8. 
   Such a grammar would attempt to account for all the possible utterances in a language.
   
9. 
   There are rules to grammar as to any other subject.
   
10. 
    I was taught French by the grammar- translation method
    

2.