LANGUAGE IN INDIA

To Teach or Not to Teach Grammar isn't the Question Any Longer -
A Case for Consciousness-Raising Tasks

Anindya Syam Choudhury, M.A.

Abstract

The paper focuses on one of the major debates in language pedagogy: whether grammar is to be taught or not, and comes to a conclusion that though an over-emphasis on grammatical forms may prove to be a hindrance in the path of the development of a learner's ability to communicate fluently, not teaching grammar at all is not a viable option. In this context, the paper argues for an interesting contemporary option put forward by many methodologists, that of "Consciousness-raising" and tries to show how this can be integrated in the task-based approach to the teaching of grammar.

Introduction

The word "grammar" often conjures up in my mind the image of Tony Lumpkin, the character in Oliver Goldsmith's play She Stoops to Conquer, singing the following song:

Let schoolmasters puzzle their brain
With grammar, nonsense, and learning…

Here Tony Lumpkin equates grammar with nonsense, and one wonders whether one could be so contemptuous of it. However, there is no gainsaying that linguists, teachers and methodologists and all those concerned with grammar and grammar pedagogy have been puzzling "their brain" trying to ascertain the meaning of grammar, its domain, its role in language learning and the methodologies that should be used in teaching it, or whether it should be taught at all.

Grammar in English Language Teaching: The Pendulum Swing

There has always been a pendulum swing regarding whether grammar should be taught or not. Before the advent of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) in the 1970's, for instance, grammar was in a position of domination in language education, with curriculums being organized around it. However, the supremacy of grammar was questioned when developments in the field of Sociolinguistics in the seventies challenged the traditionally established notions about the nature of language and language learning.

One of the primary reasons for the rejection of a narrow focus on grammatical forms and structures in language learning was the blurring of the notion of 'correctness' of language, thanks to the investigation of language varieties. Also, Chomsky's theory of linguistic competence was critiqued by Dell Hymes (1972) who believed that the former paid no attention to the importance of communication and cultural considerations. Hymes went on to put forward a broader concept of 'communicative competence', which drew attention to language use in social context.

No doubt these developments had a tremendous impact on language teaching, and one of the spin-offs was that these led some theorists, methodologists, teachers and syllabus designers to go overboard so much so that many started advocating a 'no grammar' approach in second and foreign language teaching and learning. An extreme position of this kind is exemplified by Newmark (1971) who pointed out that "the teaching of grammar is neither necessary nor sufficient for learning a second language. That it is not necessary is proved by the first language learner's success without it. That it is not sufficient is proved by the second language learner's lack of success".

Failure of Traditional Methods of Teaching Grammar: Reasons

One wonders whether grammar per se can be blamed for the "lack of success" of the second language learners. The failure actually stems from the inadequacy of the methodologies that have traditionally been used to teach grammar, the methodologies which have failed to recognise the crucial distinction between teaching about language and teaching the use of language which in turn has led to a sort of an unbridgeable chasm between the true goal of language teaching and the means employed to achieve the goal.

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