After 1580 the English language was no longer considered barbarous because important works had been written in it, its vocabulary had expanded, and it had been adorned with the devices of classical rhetoric. It did not have, however, a dictionary or grammar, the fourth quality that makes a language eloquent. Thus, the eighteenth century…

Produced in response to a school board's directive to develop a plan for implementing a standardized curriculum in the basic subjects on a district-wide basis, this resource guide is intended to provide teachers with ideas and materials that will assist them in teaching a course in functional basic English skills for eleventh grade students.…

The Buffalo English Linguistics Project was planned as a controlled experiment testing the comparative effectiveness of two general approaches to English language study on the secondary school level--the traditional and the linguistic. Paired groups of high school English classes matched on the basis of grade level and socio-economic criteria were…

A program of new approaches to teaching composition, funded under an ESEA Title 3 grant, led English teachers at Woodridge High School, Peninsula, Ohio, to test two theories: (1) that no significant difference in writing skills would exist between students exposed to the traditional, formal grammar course and those taught composition through the…

Produced in response to a school board's directive to develop a plan for implementing a standardized curriculum in the basic subjects on a district-wide basis, this guide contains instructional objectives for the area of ninth grade English. Included in the guide are (1) an overview of objectives for eighth, ninth, and tenth grade English; (2) an…

Two traditions are distinguishable in modern linguistic theory: the tradition of "universal grammar" which flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries, and the tradition of structural or descriptive linguistics which reached its peak 15 or 20 years ago. Universal grammar was concerned with (1) the relation of deep structure to surface forms and to…

Three grammars that, since the 50's, have supplemented or offered alternatives to traditional grammar are discussed in this article. The role of grammar in communicative utterances and the underlying considerations in describing a grammatical system are analyzed. Then, brief summaries about and comments on structural linguistics, tagmemic grammar,…

This study evaluated the teaching of English as a second language in Puerto Rico in grades seven, eight, and nine. The study was written primarily for the teachers of Puerto Rican children in the United States, but also for those involved in the English program in Puerto Rico. Eight research hypotheses were formulated. (1) The majority of English…

Developed to form the basis for a state-wide public school student assessment program, this manual outlines course performance standards based upon intended outcomes in language arts courses which are part of the state-adopted curriculum frameworks, grades 9 through 12. The standards are for courses in English skills, English, and English honors…

Traditions and emerging trends in the teaching of linguistics and composition are examined in this collection of papers. Joseph Mersand predicts a future emphasis on the subject of English as a discipline, leading to a more adequate preparation and increased supervision of English teachers and a greater stress in the classroom on written…

This unit is intended to give ninth-grade students a brief survey of the changes in the study of language from the time of the Greeks to the present. Organized to proceed from the teacher's introduction of a subject to class examination and discussion of an excerpt from a grammarian's work, the unit focuses on the belief that a grammarian's…

FROM EITHER A FEAR OF STUDENTS OR A FEAR OF LANGUAGE AS IT ACTUALLY EXISTS, MANY ENGLISH TEACHERS HAVE PERMITTED GRAMMATICAL ANALYSIS TO DOMINATE THE NEW ENGLISH CURRICULA AND CONSEQUENTLY HAVE MADE LINGUISTICS IRRELEVANT. THESE TEACHERS PREFER THE MANIPULATION OF GRAMMATICAL SYSTEMS AS AN END IN ITSELF RATHER THAN THE USE OF LINGUISTICS TO…

An overview of language concepts suggests applications of linguistics to the teaching of English at all levels of instruction. Traditional grammar, with its emphasis on syntax and written language, is discussed and then compared to generative grammar, with its emphasis on transformational theory. A discussion of usage summarizes the changes in…

An appeal for a reappraisal of the role of linguistics and traditional grammar in the secondary school is made in this article. A case is made for a return to traditional grammar in the teaching of English at all levels prior to graduate school. Five writing models with student assignments based on creative imitation illustrate the kind of…

Four historical studies, carried out under the direction of Professor Raven I. McDavid and reported in this monograph, trace the various attitudes toward language study expressed in the journals (1911-63) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). For the years between 1911 and 1929, Betty Gawthrop reports a cautious questioning of the…