Universidad Nacional de La Plata * Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educacién Departamento de Lenguas y Literaturas Modernas + Gramética Inglesa 1 History of Grammatical Study 1) Traditional Grammar 1. What is the Indo-European language and why was its postulation important for the study of language? 2. What do you understand by Philology? Why was it relevant for people studying language in that period? 3. Complete the chart with the most important characteristics of the following periods, concerning the linguistic study: Antiquity —_ Medieval Times | Renaissance Century Characteristics 4. When was Comparative Grammar first developed? 5. Would you describe a traditional approach to the study of language as descriptive or prescriptive? Support your answer. ‘Z) Structural Grommar 1. a) What does the expression "Copernican revolution" suggest to you? b) Why are Saussure's teachings regarded as a Copernican Revolution? What is the actual object of study of linguistics according to hin? 2, From Saussure's point of view, explain the following: * Synchronicand Diachronie dimensions of linguistic study + "Langue" and Parole” © Units of analysis of language ‘* Syntagmatic and Paradigmatic dimensions of synchronic linguistic structure 3. What is the contribution of Franz Boas and Edward Sapir to linguistic study? 4, What is the contribution of Bloomfield and American Structuralism? 5. When can we characterize a grammatical approach as descriptive? 6. Inwhat way was Descriptive Grammar different from Structuralist Grammar in hier? |FOTOCOPIADORA| CENCE (|III) Traditional and Structural approaches to Grammar "Build up a chart showing the main differences between both approaches IV) Functional Grammar (Systemic Functional Linguistics) 1. What did the Prague School linguists attempt to explain? What must be included in the description of a language, according to them? 2. What do functional linguists understand by: +The Experiential Metafunction? + The Interpersonal Metafunction? + The Textual Metafunction? 3. Tn what terms does the functional approach define the concept of grammar? V) Generative Grammar 1. Thwhat terms do the Behaviouristic approach, on the one hand, and Generativism, ‘on the other, describe the process of language acquisition? Explain the following concepts: habit formation / poverty of stimulus. 2. Which is the aim of Universal Grammar (US)? Which of the following terms would you associate with UG: "cognitive approach + imitation "innate language faculty * principles and parameters + context * universality + prescriptive approach + learnability 3, According to Chomsky, what is the difference between competence and performance? 4, Inwhat terms do the Generative and Functional approaches analyze the problem of the origin of syntax, according to: + How children come to organize words in linguistic constructions (sentences)? + How the organization of words in linguistic constructions developed within the overall process of evolution?