Language is a means of communication and the necessity of the grammar part in the language in writing and speaking is still a debatable topic.
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In Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of a language which involves the analysis of the language form, meaning as well as its content. Linguistics define grammar as a set of patterns of how words are put together to form phrases or clauses whether spoken or written. In other words it is also defined as the set of rules dealing with syntax and structure of a language.
Language pattern differs with language. In English, the sentence of a structure is usually the subject first then followed by verb and then the object.
Two positions
There has been ongoing debate going between these two positions of grammar practice. They are:
- Prescriptivism
- Descriptivism
- Prescriptive grammar attempts to establish rules for the correct usage of grammar. These rules may address to the aspects like spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary, semantics and syntax. Prescriptivists believe that a language should follow certain rules.
- Descriptive grammar is a set of rules of a language based on its usage in speaking or writing. There is no right or wrong in this practice. In other words, it is a linguistic approach that understands the differences without dictating or judging the correct ones.
How grammar became standardized?
When people became more interconnected irrespective of the boundaries, writing gained importance. As a result language became standardized for a larger number of people to understand. A set of rules were set by the scholars in the standardized form. People who did not follow the standardized pattern were considered as of low social status. Hence they were forced to learn the set of rules for having a high status in the society.
The structure of a speech is more flexible and is capable in adapting to the needs of listeners and speakers.
