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"tm 2. Byrne “xglish Teachiag Ponpectties * x CCagman THY 1.8 Grammar and.Lexis ‘What causes us to draw a distinction between grammar and lexis is the variable ange ofthe possiblities that arse at eiferent places the language Tn some instances we fee a choice among avery small mmber of possiblities This happens for instance when we heve to choose betwen this’ and ‘that or between singular and plural or between ‘ast, present and future; or between postive and aegativeThete a soine paces in every language whete we ave to inte such choice, we cannot avoid them or femain neutral, ad there is limited number of possiblities to choose Irom. Moreover the range of thoice is exhaustive: where ‘pestive’ canbe chosen ‘negatives the ‘only possible alternative, There are other places, however where we ae choosing from a very large number ef posiblites, we cannot ‘count them, or draw a clear line ound thet soch e wil separate ‘whats possible from whatis impossible, Ina clase wich begins he as sitting on the, certain items chai settee, bench, stool and 50.0 are quite likely to follow, but very many others are perfect Boab, ad probebly no two peopl would ape on the unared fost likely items “This is the basis of the diference between grammar and lexis Grammar isconcerned with choices ofthe first Kind, wher her isa small fied numberof possiblities anda clear line between what i Possbleand what isnot The second kind of ehoice ithe domain oF foie isnot the cas, however, that al choies in language are clearly ‘of one type othe other, closed or open, What we find is eal sradient, of ‘line’ that is, there is 8 continuous gradation in the Patterns of formal choice in language. At one end we have alge fnumber of systems interacting with each other in highly complet ‘ways, but with a small numberof fixed possiblities in each: here we ar clerly in grammar. At the other end, we have open et, a very Simple interrelations with each other but witha much wider fangs of choice in each, whose limit are hard to define: here we are equally leary in lexi. But every language has choices wich are round bout the middle ofthis ein, where the number of possibilities is limited but large and the interaction of one choice with others itll fairly comples. Instances of items entering into choices of this intermediate type in English aren at, on, under i, seing thas, Provided that, in case, often, never, sometimes, eoays Language, therefore, doesnot draw a clear distinction srammar and lens. Ta the formal pattern of language, closed ‘jstems in complex inlerelations, atone end of the seal, shade fradually into open sets in simple interrelations at the’ other. Linguistics, however isto drawa line, beoaus these two types of phenomenon need diferent theories (o account for ther: thes (2 fy, ne cannot account for bath patterns of the grammatie! typ and pattems of the lexical type with the sire categories ad Telatons. This has been recognised since the earliest days of linguistics we aki for granted that we need Both grammar and = onary to deserbe the form fa anguage, though we ma seldom ask how they dies, MAK Halliday, A McIntosh & P Strevens The Linguistic Sciences and Language Teaching (Longman 1962) 21-22 1 This is she bass of the dierence between grammar and lexis! Aine 29. 4 Expltn the distintion whieh the authors draw betwes grammar and leis, 2 » Give other examples of grammatical ystems and lexial sets. 2 The authors say that al choices in language are on a ‘line’. 2 What do they mean by the term ‘line? 1b How does it help to explain, for example the status of prepositions? 3. ‘Weneedbotha grammar anda dletonary a desenbe the form of language though ne may seldom ask how they dir (nee 89-51), rom your reading ofthis passage, explain the diference between he two, 44 How i the distinction between grammar and lexis relevent to language teaching? LR Quisk The Use of English (Longman 196). 2 AE Darbyshice Description af English (Arnold 1967) Chapter &

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