INTRODUCTION TO LINGUISTICS SYNTAX

What is syntax? Based from the materials that Ive found, syntax is the discipline that examines the rules of a language that dictate how the various parts of sentences go together. In a simple words, syntax in linguistics is the study of the rules that govern the ways in which words combine to form phrases, clauses, and sentences. Furthermore, syntax is one of the major components of grammar. The importance of learning and teaching grammar is to lends credibility to written documents and dialogue. What I mean is we can write a text with the correct sentences with the correct grammar, this can demonstrates intelligence and eloquence, which able to express ideas and opinions well, especially in a way that influences people. Despite of that, grammar ensures your message is broadcast effectively and unequivocal which it give a clear meaning that meaning or intention cannot be mistaken or doubted. If you've got something to say, you might as well say it clearly without making a mistake.

Grammar is an essential topic which lives very longer.The term, GRAMMAR means SET OF RULES.Language is an aid to mankind. What is graamar? Depending on ones theoretical orientation, different people define grammar differently. Leech et al (1982) view grammar as an important

component that relates phonology and semantics, or sound and meaning. Huddleston (1988) sees grammar as consisting of morphology and syntax.

Morphology deals with forms of words while syntax deals with the ordering of the words to form sentences. Hudson (1992) is in the opinion that grammar embraces any kind of information about words since there are no boundaries around grammar. Cobbett (1984) regards grammar as constituting rules and principles that help a person to make use of words or manipulate and combine 18 words to give meaning in a proper manner. It concerns with form and structure of words and their relationships in sentences. This means that as the

word order or form in a sentence changes, the meaning of the sentence also changes. In a simple words, the sentences meaning will follow the words. Beyond the expressions,no animal can communicate like Man. Language has its life in its Grammar. As in making any sentence,it must give correct meaning so that people will understand the real meaning without hesitation. To give correct meaning it must be written with grammatical support, otherwise language has no existence. For example, the differences between American English and British English. The Americans say that they simplify double vowels and make the spelling much easier than the spelling of Britain English. But however, the Americans are unable to understand that they dont create the language except they damage a lot. But the British follow the correct grammar and give great importance in grammar, because any language has its existence when the grammatical rules were used, it give the real meaning of a sentence or words. Eventhough American English seems to be easier but it kills the real expression and meanings of a sentence and gives different meanings.If we intend to neglect grammar, how will the next generations learn English in a proper way and preserve the correct usage of grammar. An English language teacher should have a very sound knowledge of grammar to enable him/her to become an effective English teacher. The objective is, so that the teacher will teach a proper English with a correct grammar by using correct method in teaching English. English language teachers have the responsibility to develop in learners the knowledge and skills of grammar. Within the Communicative Approach to language teaching, these teachers need to adopt appropriate and effective methods and strategies to teach grammar in English language classroom. Unfortunately teachers are not given well-defined guidelines in the English Curriculum Specifications on how to approach grammar teaching, whether it should be done explicitly or implicitly. Their subjective interpretations and perceptions of the syllabus are influenced by their assumptions and personal beliefs about the nature of grammar and its learning and teaching, the role of learners and teachers as well as the context of teaching. In simple meaning, teachers are the educators or role models in defining future generations with good English and correct grammar usage.

Even so, it may seem like proper English and correct usage of grammar is only important to English teachers but there are many good reasons why learning grammar should be apply to non-native speakers. There are a few reasons why using proper grammar is important for non-native speakers, one of the reason is using proper grammar might help get you a job because nowadays people are competing for job and with many more applicants vying

for the same positions, job seekers need to work harder to make themselves stand out in the crowd. A person who knows how to speak and write well will have a clear advantage over someone whose grammar skills are lesser. Moreover, using proper grammar will makes you look more intelligent because the ability to speak and write properly makes a person appear to be more intelligent and see as a more educated. Knowing the difference between who and whom, or that and which, definitely signals a higher intellect to others. Everybody wants to look smart isnt it? Despite of that, using proper grammar helps you get your point across because sometimes a small grammatical error can change the entire meaning of a sentence. If you wish to be understood, it is essential to have a good working knowledge of English grammar rules so that people will understand your real meaning and dont hesitate about it. Besides that, using proper grammar gives you credibility, for an example when you are writing a paper or speaking to someone about your area of expertise, but your speech is minefield with grammatical errors, it will make you appear ignorant, even if you are, in fact, quite knowledgeable. Learning proper grammar can be worthed with the effort. It can be difficult in figuring out all the rules, but once you know them you will found it easy and have them for a lifetime.

Nevertheless, learning grammar is easy when you have learn it but for students they are the begginer so they have difficulties in understanding English grammar rules and follow it. Students always hassle with learning English grammar when it came out in writing, speaking listening. Teachers play an important role in making sure this problem is resolve. As an educator it is important to make sure the students can be good in pronouncing, spelling and listening If a language student wants to acquire some aspects of this

knowledge he has to learn some grammatical rules So grammar plays some part in the description of what the student has to know This problem can be

solve by teachers when selecting and preparing materials and do some classroom activities so that learning English would be fun for the students so that their interest in learning will arise. Secondly, by identifying and analyzing which errors done by the students and try to concentrate on it, at any given time. Third is preparing appropriate exercises and activities for rule presentation or errorr correction so that students will not forget the mistake that they have done and do not repeat it especially in examination. Last but not least, by answering studentsquestions about grammar because they are still beginner and theres much more they have to learn. The only way is to help them understand it and teach them how to cope with the problems. Not to mention, the theory of universal grammar holds that there are certain fundamental grammatical ideas which all humans possess, without having to learn them. Universal grammar acts as a way to explain how language acquisition works in humans, by showing the most basic rules that all languages have to follow. The most famous theory of the idea of a universal grammar was put forth by the linguist Noam Chomsky in the 1950s. Chomsky held that there was a universal grammar hardwired into the brain of all humans, and that all human languages had evolved on top of that universal grammar, and that children learned their native languages using the universal grammar as a support structure. The Chomsky hierarchy is a tool he developed to help compare the properties of various grammar systems and their increasing expressive powers. The primary components studied by experts in generative grammar include syntax (structure of sentences), semantics (linguistic meaning), phonology (sound patterns of language), and morphology (structure and meaning of words). Move on to phrase structural rules in grammar, what is phrase structural rules? Based from wikipedia,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrase_structure_rules, Phrase-structure rules are a way to describe a given language's syntax. They are used to break down a natural language sentence into its constituent parts (also known as syntactic

categories) namely phrasal categories and lexical speech). Phrasal categories include the noun

categories (aka parts of phrase, verb phrase, categories

and prepositional

phrase;

lexical

include noun, verb,adjective, adverb, and many others. We can use phrase structure rules to present the information of the tree diagram in another format. The information shown it the tree diagram on the left can be expressed in the phrase structure rule on the right.

NP NP Art N Art N

According to this rule, a noun phrase rewrites as an articles followed by a noun. The first rule in the following set of simple (necessarily incomplete) phrase structure rules states that a sentence rewrites as a noun phrase and a verb phrase. The second rule states that a noun phrase rewrites as either an article, an optional adjective and a noun or a pronoun or a proper noun. S NP VP PP NP VP {Art (Adj) N, Pro, PN} V NP (PP) (Adv) Prep NP

From the above point, we can conclude that learning proper grammar in English is important because when theres many grammatical errors, the sentences will completely become differ from the real meaning. There are many theories, phrases and structures involved in English. Learning grammar is not

easy but when we try to understand it and manage to master it, it will be part of our lifetime. Students should be equipped with this knowledge so that they will be confident in the face of grammar questions when they arise in class It is obvious that no one should dismiss grammar instruction altogether In fact neglecting grammar instruction altogether will be harmful in the long run. As Swan 1985 points out Some points of grammar are difficult to learn and need to be studied in isolation before students can do interesting things with them WORDS: 1777