Linguistics in Education
Encyclopedia
Linguistics in Education refers to a small but growing field of Linguistics
which advocates a greater use of linguistic theory and linguistic curriculum in Primary
and Secondary
Education
.
during the 1960s, grammar
was largely dropped from English
courses. The belief was that direct grammar instruction was not required for improved instruction in writing. Despite more recent research that has shown the positive effects of grammar instruction, the attitude that its is unnecessary persists today.
Another issue is that the curriculum for teachers is already very broad, especially in comparison to other college students, so requiring further courses for would-be teachers is rather unpopular. The same problem exists in the K-12 classroom which already have difficult time constraints on their current curriculum. To add grammar to an already full curriculum is extremely difficult.
.
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
which advocates a greater use of linguistic theory and linguistic curriculum in Primary
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
and Secondary
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
.
Background
Due to changes in national standards for K-12 education in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during the 1960s, grammar
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
was largely dropped from English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
courses. The belief was that direct grammar instruction was not required for improved instruction in writing. Despite more recent research that has shown the positive effects of grammar instruction, the attitude that its is unnecessary persists today.
Challenges
Because grammar has not been taught in many years, generations of teachers were never exposed to its direct instruction. Thus, even though many wish to teach it in their classrooms they do not find that they have adequate knowledge on the subject. Unfortunately this often perpetuates linguistic stereotypes that can sometimes be discriminatory to speakers on what are believed to be non standard dialects or languages.Another issue is that the curriculum for teachers is already very broad, especially in comparison to other college students, so requiring further courses for would-be teachers is rather unpopular. The same problem exists in the K-12 classroom which already have difficult time constraints on their current curriculum. To add grammar to an already full curriculum is extremely difficult.
Benefits
Studies of how grammar and other linguistic theory can be incorporated into K-12 classrooms have been highly successful both in improving students' conscious knowledge of grammar and changing attitudes about non-standard English dialects . There is evidence that grammar instruction can be beneficial to students' writing such that replacing writing or vocabulary instruction with grammar can actually be a more productive use of class time.Current Theory
Linguists have also been involved in this field in attempts to change misconceptions about language. One common example is the definition of nouns. Traditionally a noun is defined as a "person, place, or thing". While this definition captures much of what nouns are it does not incorporate all possible definitions and uses. For example, mental concepts such as "belief" or "idea" are also nouns but do not neatly fit the traditional definition. This can be especially difficult for children to understand. A more comprehensive definition seeks to describe nouns through their features and uses. However this definition requires the teacher to have greater knowledge of English syntaxSyntax
In linguistics, syntax is the study of the principles and rules for constructing phrases and sentences in natural languages....
.