Linguistic theory: Reflection in ESL pedagogical grammars

Investigated in this applied linguistic study is the problem of pedagogical grammar textbooks in English as a Second Language (ESL) that distort, idealize, or misrepresent linguistic facts. Arising in a period of increased linguistic emphasis on grammar (1925-1965), the problem has created a controversy between linguists and educators concerning grammars that fail to promote linguistic competence (Chomsky 1965) and communicative competence (Hymes 1971). The purpose of this study is to address the problem by answering the following question: to what extent is linguistic theory reflected in ESL pedagogical grammars? The study describes the grammatical theories within American structuralism (Bloomfield 1933), transformational grammar (Chomsky 1965), and functionalism (Halliday 1985). Theories of language interacting with theories of learning are then examined to determine how they motivate associated approaches or methods: structural (the audiolingual method); transformational grammar (the cognitive-code approach); or functionalism (the communicative approach). Focused upon the grammatical analysis of structural, transformational, and systemic grammar textbooks, the study investigates a grammatical feature which is generally a problem for ESL learners, the passive voice, to determine how the textbooks reflect grammatical theories and pedagogy. Three significant findings are made in the study: (1) item analyses and grammatical descriptions indicate that representative pedagogical grammars partially reflect the associated linguistic theories; (2) three-way analyses of objectives among the theories, methods/approaches and selected textbooks suggest that despite their communicative claims, each often reflects the lingering audiolingual paradigm; and (3) the passive voice serves as an effective yardstick for measuring grammatical theory in grammar textbooks. Thus, it is suggested that representative ESL grammars inadequately reflect linguistic facts and fail to meet the communicative needs of learners in terms of the passive voice