Date: 12-Dec-2006 From: Markus Meyer <mmmr-meyer.de> Subject: Grammatische Praxis
Institution: University of Wuppertal
Program: Department of General Linguistics
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2004
Author: Markus Richard Meyer
Dissertation Title: Grammatische Praxis
Linguistic Field(s):
Linguistic Theories
Syntax
Dissertation Director:
Danièle Clément
Rolf Elberfeld
Joachim Jacobs
Dissertation Abstract:
Investigating into the well-formedness, the 'grammaticality' of sentences opens up not only the possiblity to draw a 'boundary of grammaticality' between grammatical and ungrammatical sentences, but also to draw a 'boundary of grammar' as languages are constructed as objects of linguistic inquiry by describing only the structure of 'grammatical' sentences. So what is 'grammaticality'? In what way does 'grammaticality' limit the study of languages? How can it be modeled theoretically? How can one decide whether a given sentence it grammatical or not? What role do rules and examples play?
In this book, science will be described as a specific form of 'practice' according to the late Wittgnstein. It will be shown which consequences such a 'practical point of view' has for the description and explanation of the structure of languages.
From this 'practical point of view' different approaches will be described and criticised (Chomsky's Generative Grammar, Optimality Theory). Eisenberg's 'Grundriß der deutschen Grammatik' and the 'IDS-Grammatik der deutschen Sprache' will be described in detail as examples of grammar writing. Altogether this investigation shows which skills are fundamental for grammarians in opposition to ordinary speakers of a language.
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