School Grammar versus Scientifically Based Grammar

Two contradictory trends are discerned in the field of German grammar instruction in Sweden: scientifically based grammar maintains contact with current scientific descriptions of German, whereas school grammar embodies the insistence of many Swedish German teachers that there be no changes in traditional formulations of German grammar. The latter trend is perpetuated at the level of higher learning in the guise of providing easier rules for students. Eleven examples of school grammar rules are critiqued, showing their inconsistency & empirical inadequacy; it is argued that scientifically based alternatives are simpler & more accurate & therefore facilitate the acquisition of German. Topics include the use of grammatical category labels; inflectional classes; claims of semantic identity between categories, eg, subject & predicative; the notions of main verb & main clause; & adverbial usages. 10 References. J. Hitchcock