In this part, the discussion of grammars and grammar learning will be continued. It began with a focus on grammar concepts in theory and content and now leads over to the discussion of different presentations of grammar, their potential impact on use and their relation to the CING.
“Grammar is the most unique aspect of language” […] and it is “learned in different ways from anything else that people learn” (Cook, 2008, p. 18). This makes it a subject of study to many people, within linguistics and SLA as well as other study subjects, and a myriad of grammar books has been published in the history of linguistics, even if counting only English grammars.
In this study, we are dealing with a grammar that has a unique structure, different types of grammar rules presentation and grammar exercises with feedback for users. Despite this wide range of options, the CING requires a set of criteria that help to evaluate its benefit for all potential users.
A list of possible goals, target learners, content, form of presentation and exercises will guide the review of the CING to gain insight into the relations between style of presentation, content and use in learning. What role these relations play in the application of the CING is an important part of understanding the potential of the grammar. The goal of this part of the chapter is to answer this and other significant questions with regards to the parameters derived from the applied list of criteria.
2.3.1 Introducing the CING
The CING presents the “description of the underlying rule system of a language by the linguist” (Helbig, 1993) as its grammar content and it is a web-based grammar freely available to anyone with access to the internet. A login can be requested on its website free of charge.
Its content contains a selection of grammar topics which are “exemplary grammar areas that make English special in many ways” (Schmied, 2001) and they are presented in two different ways, also called the Dual Approach (Schmied, 1999a). This unique approach sides with an authentic English language corpus of approximately 3 million words (Schmied & Haase, 2003) and permits different types of grammar learning like process or product grammar learning (ibid.). One reason for this combination of grammar rules and an authentic language corpus was to allow the user to recognize that rules are not absolute, but that there is “prototypical” and “creative construction” involved (c.f. Schmied, 2001).
The application of the CING in use was initially intended to range from a reference to a learner-centered pedagogical grammar (see Schmied, 2001). A possible application as user or as research grammar also relates to this range of application. To understand better where the CING stands in the area of grammar research and learning, a list of relevant criteria is required for an informed investigation.
The following discussion of the criteria (adapted from Thurmair, 2010 and Zimmermann, 2003) will be a view to grammars in general, to the CING and the grammar learning context. The review will follow the list of criteria and the CING will be related in discussion to each criterion, while being described in detail.
2.3.2 CING goals and target groups
The goal, or target area, and target learner group are central aspects of a grammar because they determine its content, content presentation and user behavior. A grammar for language learners (learner-grammar) is expected to present grammar differently than a scientific (linguistic) grammar, because the needs of each target group are different. Grammar use for scientific purposes would require an offer of language examples and rule description that matches the scientific task of the user, on which we will focus here due to its relevance in
comprehensible and realistic language material as well as descriptive rules to aid his learning. Additionally, exercises to practice the revised content can help to meet the learner needs.
The necessary support measures (e.g., introduction, meta-language glossary/translation and corpora search engine) for using or understanding the grammar also differ for both. The selection of the grammar material, its language level, and presentation are also adapted to learner groups to ensure the grammar's applicability with the target group.
While forms of use of a grammar (e.g., scientific investigation or research, confirmation or revision of grammar knowledge for learning) also vary between target groups, grammars do not necessarily provide adapted tasks. Some might offer exercises and questions to reflect on grammar rules. This is not common rule with grammar books, though.
The goals grammars have are generally closely related to the target user group. A grammar with a corpus tool for language authentic examples and presentation (and formulation) of grammar rules according to linguistic theories (e.g., functional, generative, cognitive) focuses more on linguists or teachers as target group. Grammars with an aim to explain or instruct grammar and offer help in understanding and learning it (as a second or foreign language grammar) are designed with learners in mind.
The CING was designed to cater for learning and research as well as offer grammar as reference and as pedagogical concept of grammar learning. The learner target group consists of native speakers of German who have intermediate or advanced English level (see Figure 5).
Figure 5: CING Introduction Page
For linguists (researchers or students) the tool provides the corpus material and search engine and the different grammar rule presentations (inductive, deductive and exercises). Used in combination these CING materials render possible research on grammar use in authentic language, its variations in application and meaning or statistical investigations into the usage numbers of particular grammar structures in selected authentic texts.
The CING's different approaches to the presentation of learning material and a corpus search engine are also oriented towards the language learner but with a different sense of application. The correct and creative use of grammar in language production is always a challenge for learners. Many researchers believe that grammar learning through a variety of rules alongside the analysis of language examples leads to better competence in language production. When learning with the CING, the different grammar presentations can aid in the learners' discovery of rules (inductive material pages), practice and revision of rule knowledge (deductive material pages, exercises) or the uncovering of new areas of grammar rule application in authentic language examples with the help of a corpus search of a particular grammar structure. Another option for a learner is to learn grammar through a process of just rethinking grammar with the help of the CING rules, examples or exercises (process learning) or to learn it through practicing with the exercises and feedback (product learning).
Despite the fact, that these actions are all learner related, anyone with access to the CING can use it accordingly, without being a learner or linguist. This brings us to the question: Does the CING provide support for those who are not experts of English grammar? The answer to this question involves aspects of the CING (e.g., content structure, page design, and rule presentation) that will be discussed in detail below.
2.3.3 CING Grammar content and presentation
Content scope, content structure, type of content presentation, and content use are all relevant aspects of a grammar type and will be discussed in the same order. Grammars often differ in their content and in the way they conceptualize and present it. This makes for countless types of grammars and grammar books in the field of grammar writing. Those relevant to the CING will be included in this discussion.