Making grammar meaningful

Students all learn something about grammar in school, but few students enjoy it – on the contrary! Grammar is taught as a set of rules required to form correct sentences and a pathway to doing better on tests and exams. It is thought of, particularly in HK, as ‘a necessary evil’. But pedagogical grammar is only one kind of grammar, and it is often a hindrance rather than a help to learning. This talk will explore other ways of thinking about grammar and explore how the brain organizes arbitrary sounds into something sensible. We will consider the traditional role of grammar in language learning. But more importantly, we will consider how grammar in context can make language learning more interesting and effective. After all, grammar is essential to much more than correctness; it is inseparable from the most fundamental purpose of language: making meaning.