LINGUIST List 11.2640

Wed Dec 6 2000

Review: Fehringer: A Ref. Grammar of Dutch

Editor for this issue: Andrew Carnie <carnielinguistlist.org>



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  • Radu Daniliuc, review: A Reference Grammar of Dutch

    Message 1: review: A Reference Grammar of Dutch

     Date: Sun, 3 Dec 2000 23:16:08 -0800
    From: Radu Daniliuc <radu.daniliucanu.edu.au>
    Subject: review: A Reference Grammar of Dutch


    Fehringer, Carol (1999) A Reference Grammar of Dutch. With Exercises and Key Cambridge University Press. 185 pages

    Reviewed by Laura and Radu Daniliuc (The Australian National University)

    For those interested in learning Dutch or in improving their knowledge about the Dutch language, Cambridge University Press offers "A Reference Grammar of Dutch. With Exercises and Key" by Carol Fehringer, Lecturer in German Linguistics and Dutch at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. As its title clearly indicates, it is an accessible reference grammar designed for practical use and which aims at students of Dutch at the beginner/intermediate level. From a teaching methodology perspective, Carol Fehringer focuses particularly on the difficulties encountered by English-speaking students, who have the same Germanic linguistic basis. Fundamentally, the book is divided into two main parts which make it practical and in the same time user-friendly: Part 1 consists of a reference grammar of Dutch, while Part 2 contains a set of exercises relating to the grammatical problems presented in Part 1. The structure of the first part, somehow similar to that of Michael Swan's famous "Practical English Usage", is more like that of a dictionary than that of a traditional grammar. The author's main objective was to present grammatical information is presented in short separate entries arranged in alphabetical order. There are 80 entries which cover the main areas of Dutch grammar such as: sounds and letters, forming simple and complex sentences in Dutch, questions and commands, basic parts of sentence, negation of a sentence, tenses and verbal constructions, special types of verbs, and rules for deriving words from other words. As for the nature of the contents, most of the points discussed are grammatical, specialized linguistic terminology is kept to a minimum, as the book does not address a scholarly audience. However, the author also treats specific questions of vocabulary referring to difficulties in translating Dutch into English and vice versa. She comments on some Dutch equivalents for "all", "both", "know", "live", "may/might", "mean", "put", "same", "such", "then", "understand", "used to", "when" and "-ing" constructions. Each section ends with a presentation of unpredictable exceptions to the rules, less common forms, observations on style and everyday usage and more complicated issues. The student may find information not only about nouns, articles, adjectives, different kind of pronouns, adverbs, verbal tenses, conjunctions, but also about word order, compound words, spelling, letter writing, number, expressing time, and other essential aspects in learning another language. As verbal tenses and moods is a rather delicate issue, they are presented in separate entries and towards the end of the book there is another entry summarizing verbal tenses. The author also concentrates on the differences between Dutch and English word order that may puzzle English learners of Dutch. Each entry is linked to an exercise or a set of exercises (in the larger sections) which are graded according to complexity (Level 1: Beginners to intermediate and Level 2: Intermediate to advanced) and designed to practise a particular grammatical issue. There are three types of exercises: Type A: Recognition and understanding of Dutch forms; Type B: Application of rules; and Type C: Free composition. A key to the exercises and an alphabetical list of common irregular Dutch verbs are provided at the back of the book. As the author intends to offer the students a wide range of genuine language excerpts, each grammatical rule is illustrated by simple, everyday examples. There is an entry dealing with some general aspects of colloquial Dutch. The English reader is also provided with a brief summary of standard Dutch pronunciation. There are 48 tables in the larger sections that help the student focus on the main points of interest. A glossary of essential terms is also provided at the end of the book. At the beginning of the book, a didactic guide sets out the most important grammatical topics and offers a suggestion for the possible order, from basic to complex, in which they should be studied. The book ends with a comprehensive index containing references to the entries and more specific grammatical problems covered in the reference grammar. Students are advised to refer to it when first looking for a particular grammatical topic. As an overall appreciation, "A Reference Grammar of Dutch. With Exercises and Key" is a useful tool for English (and not only English) students with an inclination towards the Dutch language as it offers them basic information on Dutch grammar and helps them put this information into practice by the exercises it suggests. The dictionary-like form makes it practical and user-friendly and puts an emphasis on the role of the student, and not on that of the teacher, in the process of learning.