The word grammar has always brought with it personal angst and anxiety. I feel that I am not alone in my fear of grammar and all that it encompasses. A movie reel of tweed clothed English teachers wearing horned rimmed glasses, judging everything I write or say, often plays in my mind when I’m faced with a situation where I must be careful of my grammar adherence. Recently I began teaching at a classical academy. Whilst I initially felt my blood pressure rise each time someone referred to the students between the primary and the secondary grades as being grammar students, picturing hundreds of tweed clothed, horned rimmed glasses wearing, children standing in judgment of anything I might utter or write on a whiteboard, I learned that the word grammar was nothing to fear.

Grammar has origins beginning with Greek (gramma), moving to Latin (grammatica), then to Old French (gramarie), then and finally to English (grammar) (Grammar (n.)). Our text defines grammar as “the structure and rules governing a language at the level of sound, word formation, syntax and semantics” (12). This definition implies that grammar includes much more than a list of rules for word and punctuation use. It also includes natural nuances to language, too elementary to list in a rule book. (12). Where my personal definition of grammar encompassed a thick book of rules and regulations, personified by tweed jacketed, horned-rimmed clad people, the book definition implies that grammar is not something to judge correct use of, instead it is something far more fundamental. Grammar is the foundation of language, in this case our language, American Standard English.

What we say and how we speak has always been a part of our cultural background as Americans and a symbol of our cultural background (“Should Non-Standard”). As with many other languages American English encompasses not only the accepted standard, but also many local and cultural dialects too. However, there must be a baseline standard for teaching English in American schools, and that is American Standard English (ASE).

Last spring, whilst doing research for another class, I recall a reading a journal article (I cannot place my hands on the article now), which suggested that to reach students, educators should allow the use Non-Standard English (NSE) in formal and informal assignments. Patriann Smith furthers this idea, “Standardized English has become a tool of power, and denigrating other dialects has further marginalized people who have been see as different and sharpened divides among Americans from different cultures and ethnicities” (Smith as cited in “Should Non-Standard”). Ultimately the concern is that assessing students on their mastery of the prescriptive rules of ASE, when they have only been exposed to the descriptive rules of the NSE of their culture or family, is unfair and denigrating to those students (“Should Non-Standard”).

How do educators bridge this gap? Sharing one common language (i.e., American Standard English), while also respecting the students who come from various backgrounds and culture. Should teachers encourage students use of the NSE of their culture or adhere to ASE? Schools across America vary in the way they deal with the gap between the two, ranging from correcting NSE use to allowing its use in the classroom (“Should Non-Standard”). In an extremely diverse and competitive world, there must be a way to teach and preserve both. Ultimately, as adults, students will work in diverse and global environments, and must understand nuances in communication.





Works Cited

Curzan, Anne, and Michael Adams. How English Works: A Linguistic Introduction. Pearson Education, 2006.

“Grammar (n.).” Etymology, https://www.etymonline.com/word/grammar.

Norton, Bonny. “Language, Identity, and the Ownership of English.” TESOL Quarterly, vol. 31, no. 3, 1997, pp. 409–29. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3587831. Accessed 21 Aug. 2022.

“Should Non-Standard English Be Taught in Schools?” FABBS, https://fabbs.org/2017/03/should-non-standard-english-be-taught-in-schools/.




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