Types of English grammar

Types of grammar you probably haven't heard before

free grammar checker picturePeople enjoy claiming that they know all the grammar. Sometimes, they may think of it as of a natural process of speaking or simply knowing the language that they are used. Although, the grammar itself is much more complicated than that. Grammar is, by definition, a set of principles that constitute the language, technically consisting of clauses, phrases, and words in any existing language. All well and good, but the professional of linguistics like to divide the grammar into more varieties, basing their observations on the ways it is analyzed and described. It’s truly important to be able to distinguish between at least five types of grammar that are part of the distinction made by linguists.

The first and one of the most important types is generative grammar, which basically is the set of rules based on which native speakers of the language, English for example, are able to spot their language among any other noises. Such a feature, according to various scientists, is explicit in its kind and a person must use a considerable amount of effort for that purpose. Some, however, claim that the rules of generative grammar, simply to speak, are unconscious in their nature and are based on the so-called theory of competence, provided that there is an intrinsic knowledge inside of the native speaker that allows him or her to properly interpret the language.

The second type of the grammar is called the comparative grammar and itself is a branch of linguistics that is most worried about the analysis of the grammatical structures in relation to other languages. One simple example would be looking at the construction of both French and Italian languages. According to the multiple sources, the similarity of the formed and the latter is close to the 90%, which is a figure that was drawn from the basics of the comparative grammar. Accordingly, such type of grammar is a helpful assistant in determining the language families. Besides, comparative grammar helps to reduce the language forms to their earliest forms.

The third important type of grammar is mental grammar that essentially allows the native speakers to produce the language that the other native speaker (or a person who knows the language of the matter) could ultimately comprehend. The thing is, it is commonly believed that every adult, and most of the children, have enough of the language knowledge to produce and recognize the patterns forming the language expression. The mental grammar is entirely subconscious and no effort is needed for its operation on the everyday basis.

The fourth type of grammar that is worth the attention is pedagogical grammar, which refers to a specific grammar theory, analysis or construction of the language, and the study of the problems related to grammar that the second-language learner may have. Mainly, in its entity, the pedagogical grammar is just a characterization of a language that is solely created for the teaching or learning purposes. For example, pedagogical phonology and phonetics is just one pure way to look at the use of such type of grammar. It primarily aids the non-native speakers and is just a useful branch of the grammar in general.

The fifth and the final type of grammar is the ultimate ability to produce and understand the language in the sentence (verbal form in most cases). Usually, such type of grammar goes along with the linguistic performance, which, in itself, is determined on the basis of the combination of factors, such as the linguistic competence, the nature, and limitations of the speaker, as well as dialects and idiolects. Thus, such a type of grammar is vital to our understanding of the language itself, which is why it is valuable to know about its existence (especially for the linguists).

So you think you have a good idea of what the grammar is now? Good, now you can fully and rightfully claim that you actually “know grammar” and what it actually takes to fully understand its composition and various types. To check your grammar follow this link.