THE POWER OF GENERATIVE-TRANSFORMATIONAL GRAMMAR

This grammar will generate well-formed syntactic structures (e.g. sentences) of the language.

This grammar will have a finite (i.e. limited) number of rules but will be capable of generating an infinite number of well-formed structures.

The rules of this grammar give ‘recursiveness’, that is the capacity to be applied more than once in generating a structure.

This grammar is also capable of revealing the basis two other phenomena:

How some superficially distinct sentences are closely related. How some superficially similar sentences are in fact distinct.

CRITISIZM OF GENERATIVE-TRANSFORMATIONAL GRAMMAR

It is far from clear what contribution Generative-

Transformational Grammar is likely to make to language teaching

methodology."Silalahi (1993), "

Many teachers of English as a second language assume that Generative-Transformational Grammar is pedagogically unadaptable to the needs of a secondary curriculum.

It means that it is not applicable to language teaching.

There are two important reasons:

The first reason is that the explication of the theory is directed more towards linguists, psychologists and mathematicians than toward teachers of English.

The second reason is that the criticism of this theory by other linguists made the concept more complicated.

THE IMPLICATION OF GENERATIVE-TRANSFORMATIONAL GRAMMAR IN ELT

Actually, there might be still many other linguists who accept that Generative-Transfromational Grammar can be contributed in teaching and learning process.

Silalahi (1993) in her paper concentrates more on the opinions which can see the contribution of Generative-Transformational Grammar to the teaching of grammar.

Dealing with the process of learning and acquisition

These two terms are different in case they are used to separated between the first language acquisition and the second language acquisition learning.

In learning second language, it is a conscious activity, while the first language acquisition deals with unconsious one.

In language acquisition the focus is communication or reception of a message as opposed to syntax and grammar as in language learning.

Saporta (in Silalahi,1993) claims that the main

contribution of Generative-Transformational Grammar is to provide relevant data

which enables textbook writers to base their material on the most

adequate description.

If someone wants to apply this Generative-

Transformational Grammar, there should be a clear differences

between scientific grammar and

pedagogical grammar.

WHAT IS A SCIENTIFIC GRAMMAR?

It provides

STRUCTURAL

DESCRIPTION

SEMANTIC INTERPRETATI

ON

WHAT IS A PEDAGOGICAL GRAMMAR?

A COLLECTION OF MATERIAL

GENERATIVE-TRANSFORMATIONAL

GRAMMAR CAN BE APPLIED IN THE FORM

OF PEDAGOGICAL GRAMMAR (IN

TEACHING ENGLISH GRAMMAR)

Thomas (in Silalahi,1993) who is convinced with his contribution of Generative-Transformational Grammar, suggests that in the beginning of teaching, the teachers should teach the kernel sentence first.

Kernel sentences consist of: Simple; Declarative; Active with no complex verb or noun

phrase. Later on the students are taught to

construct passive, negative sentences in the form of Transformational Grammar.

Why should the teacher know the

theory of language structure?

Do not only teach the language

TEACHER

Teach the rules how the sentences are

produced

The stages of teaching second language

The teachers should use relatively uncomplicated construction ideally. The teachers would begin with the

simplest meaningful utterences in language.

The teachers present simple construction first before moving on to

the more complex ones

THE SIMPLEST KIND OF ENGLISH SENTENCES IS

THE INTRANSITIVE SENTENCES

Examples:

The children swim

People laugh

OTHER MATTERS MUST SURELY BE CONSIDERED

Meaningfulness to the learners;Utility of the structure being

learned; Appropriateness for age group.

But the concept of progressing from the simple to the more

complex should not be ignored

So, Generative-Transformational Grammar

can serve as a guide to help us to determine whether it is a simple or more complicated

sentence form.

WHICH SENTENCE IS EASIER TO LEARN?

Or

It is a big ball

The Teachers put the book on the

table

The best ways for the students to generate

sentences are:

Preparing some examples and Excercise are used to have the students supply sentence elements.

THERE ARE SOME RULES FOR STUDENTS TO CREATE (GENERATE)

UTTERENCES

One of the phrase structural rules in

Transformational Grammar is the following example:

Stage oneThe boy writes

Sentence

NP VP 

Det N V 

The boy writes

Stage twoThe clever boy writes

Sentence

NP VP 

Det adj N V  The clever boy writes

Stage threeA beautiful girl sings a beautiful song

Sentence

  NP VP  Det Adj N V NP

Det Adj N

a beautiful girl sings a beautiful song

Stage four

The man writes a long letter in the class

Sentence

NP VP

Det N V NP PP

Det adj N Prep NP

Det N

The man writes a long letter in the class

TEACHERS OF ENGLISH MAY ALSO PREPARE THE FOLLOWING EXERCISES

1. Phrase structural rules can be considered kernel. In presenting of a foreign language sentences representing kernels ought to be taught first. Examples:The girl laugh (Det N V)The children swim in the beach (Det N V Prep Det N)

2. Expansion of the verb section by applying auxiliary. Examples:

“The man laughed” is expanded as follows: The man could laugh. The man has laughed. The man is laughing. The man could have laughed.

3. Interrogative Transformation. Example: The man is here = Is the man here? The man hits the ball = Does the man hit the ball?

4. Expansion of verb section by adding adverb. Example: The man hits the ball = The man hits the ball accurately

5. Negative Transformation. Example: The man can hit the ball = The man cannot hit the ball Ali speaks English = Ali does not speak English

6. Passive Transformation. Example: The boy buys a bicycle = A bicycle is bought

So, in language teaching and learning process, Generative Transformational Grammar is also the most important one for the students to know the

rules how they produce sentences grammatically.

THANK YOU