Although grammar has its place in secondary education, teachers have been consistently premature in their zeal to impose order and precision on students' understanding of language through grammar. This paper argues that romance demands and deserves a special place in the language curriculum. Romance encompasses the humanistic aspects of language which lie beyond the bounds of linguistics and includes semiotics and man's symbol-making capacity. A course in semiotics is outlined through a discussion of four prerequisites: a semiotics course must have explicit student input; a new set of questions which support and extend student input must be formulated; a new system of symbols and signs must be explored as an instrument broad enough in scope of application and narrow enough to penetrate material to a sufficient depth; and a scale must be constructed which will chart student progress from one level of understanding to another. (TS)