為什麼英語教育注重語法而語文教育不注重?

04-03

在校高中生，打算全面複習語文語法，對比英語，生此疑惑。
有沒有好的語文語法書推薦?

這是第一語言學習和第二語言學習的區別。

漢語是我們的第一語言，我們在上小學一年級之前，就已經學會了運用漢語交際（聊天）。小學、中學的漢語語文學習，是在口語已經熟練的前提下學習書面語理解和表達。沒上過語文課的人的漢語，可能不那麼「高級」、「優美」，但一般不會「犯錯」。因此，中小學語文教學，相較於「語法」，更重視的是「修辭」。

而英語是我們的第二語言，我們從零學起，很容易受到第一語言的習慣影響，很容易「犯錯」。學習比較詳細的語法規則，是為了告訴我們怎麼說才「正確」。簡單說，我們學了很多年英語，希望達到英語母語者的「小學一年級水平」，即流暢地理解和表達。

反過來，英語母語者，他的中小學「語文課」，也不像我們那麼詳細地學習英語語法。如果你問他一個英語句子，他可能會回答你「這樣說不對」，但無法從語法角度告訴你「為什麼不對」。

同樣的，一個外國人問你，老師說：把書放在桌子上。

我模仿造了一個句子：把飯吃在食堂里。

這兩個句子，從句法結構來說一模一樣，為什麼第一個對，而第二個錯？

你能回答嗎？

最後，如果你想了解漢語語法，可以先看看黃伯榮、廖旭東主編的《現代漢語》。

如果你想向外國人講解清楚漢語語法，可以了解「對外漢語教學」這個專業。

@黃小彬老師的解答已經很好了，我之所以來湊個熱鬧，並非為了語法問題，看完全文，你自然就明白了。

母語習得想必大家都很熟悉了，而第二語言就存在二語習得和外語學習的區別了，二語習得在大多數情況下，指的是基於豐富語言環境的語言學習，例如美國人學西班牙語；而外語學習指的缺少語言環境的語言學習，例如中國人學英語。但是語言環境並非指所謂的全英語封閉式教學，更不是指所謂的外教語言陪練。例如我們學習漢語的環境是，連你上個公廁都能看到：「前進一小步，文明一大步。」

通過上文想必大家都明白了，母語學習的語法訓練較少，語文主要集中在修辭方法學習中，因為母語學習者的基本語法知識來源於生活環境中的日積月累，表面上說得很輕鬆，其實這種積累的數量是非常驚人的，超乎你的想像。如黃小彬老師所言，母語者的語法知識長於應用，疏於解釋。母語者可以從語言中發現語法使用不當，但是很難告訴你究竟語法錯誤在哪，這就是所謂的知其然而不知其所以然。當然這也無傷大雅，畢竟不是人人都想成為漢語語言學家。

對外語學習者來說，由於缺少語言環境，生活中語言的積累非常有限，規模完全無法達到可以將日常會話自然轉化為語言規則的程度，這就是我們學習英語為什麼要學習語法的原因之一，是為了用規則化語法知識彌補缺少語言環境造成的日常積累不足。

此外，對於外語學習者來說，母語知識的影響根深蒂固，難以避免的會產生語言遷移現象，對外語知識的掌握有著嚴重的負面影響，母語者很容易將母語規則帶入到外語學習當中，從而造成兩種語言的混亂，所以學習規則化英語語法知識另外一個原因，是可以增加母語和外語的區別度，讓你在學習中盡量避免負面的語言遷移影響。

以上內容，其實不是我想表達的重點，黃小彬老師的解答很好，我又何必畫蛇添足？只是看到某些似是而非的評論有些無語。這才來啰嗦兩句，語言學習是一個整體，聽說讀寫缺一不可，辭彙能力、語法能力和語音能力同樣重要，好的語言學習方法，和優秀的語言教學老師，或許可以讓語言學習變得輕鬆一些，但是語言學習絕對沒有捷徑可走，特別在是語言啟蒙階段，牟實基礎很重要，同時也非常困難，應該適當求助，但學習者在求助的過程中，還要提高自己的分辨能力，以排除雜音干擾。

有評論表示：「言語不強調語法，所以學習語法不是在學語言，而是在學語法！」像這種斷章取義，偷換概念的句子，我也可以仿上幾句，例如：

言語不是拼湊辭彙，所以學習辭彙不是在學語言，而是在背單詞！

言語不是口燦蓮花，所以聽力和發音不是學語言，而是在學欺詐！

如此說來，語言學習倒是簡單了。原來最成功的學習者，就是什麼都不學的學習者。

最後，求學不是照單全收，需要思考，更不是哄得你開心就好，需要付出。願各位學習順利，並學有所成。

我感覺（高中）英語教育不是注重語法，而是注重做題所以被迫注重語法。

做題總不能說用語感那種虛無縹緲的東西來得分吧（不排除特例，實際上這種例子還很多，但不能說普遍）。所以整體上，對於一個英語水平參差不齊的未知群體，校方要想最大限度地提高成績，就只能通過研究語法把它公式化，然後教授出去，大家都這樣。語感黨自然不必聽，非語感黨只能通過這種方法短期提高，從頭學顯然是來不及的。。

反過來說，假如語文考的不再是閱讀理解啊作文那一套，而也是讓你填虛詞填介詞，恐怕語文也是這麼個教法。不過話又說回來，挑病句，還有文言文，多多少少老師肯定會講涉及語法的東西是不是？

Hi, I am a German native speaker. English was my first "living" foreign language (my high school actually started with Latin). I can therefore not say how it is to learn both at the same time.

But I had a very similar experience with Spanish and French: I had 3 years of French in high school, but didnt really learn much, like so many.

When later during university, I had the opportunity to go to another European country for 1 year, I chose Spain. I learnt Spanish from scratch. I suppose that the Latin and French helped in the background, but I felt like I was learning it from scratch.

Then, while in Spain, I realized that now that I spoke Spanish really well, I understood French people better than ever. Or I should say: for the first time, I started to understand them.

So I decided to learn French again. My girlfriend happend to be a French living in Spain. So for the first 1.5 years, we spoke Spanish exclusively. Later, I started trying out French. This gave her many good laughs, because I would mix up the two languages. While for me, it was "pure French", she would notice (and fortunately understand) the many Spanish pieces in there.

It took me quite a while, probably another 2 years or so, to really get the two sorted out again.

What this taught me: Focus on one language first. Learn it properly. Then move to the next. What you already know will help you. Since you know one language well, you will not have problems with confusing the two. I never had this problem with German and English off course.

If you are less firm in one, or try to learn both at the same time, you might make it unnecessarily hard on yourself.

Besides this, please also consider: English has little grammar. the order of complexity of grammar is from most easy Chinese, over English, to German. I know that from the point of view of Chinese, this is not true, and students struggle with English grammar. But that is because Chinese has hardly any grammar at all, compared to other languages. German on the other hand, has one of the most complete and complex grammars of all. In that respect, German and English dont compare at all.

Some people seemed almost offended that I said BY COMPARISON, Chinese had not a very complicated grammar.

I am sorry. By this I did not mean that Chinese is not difficult and complex.

For me, it is very difficult indeed. But the reason is not in the grammar, and that was my only point.

The written characters are a very different matter….

So please let me explain, because there seems to be a misunderstanding.

I start with the definition what grammar really is: According to the Oxford dictionary,

grammar is:

The whole system and structure of a language or of languages in general, usually taken as consisting of syntax and morphology (including inflections)

Syntax stands for the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.

Morphology is the study of words, how they are formed, and their relationship to other words in the same language.

It analyzes the structure of words and parts of words, such as stems, root

words, prefixes, and suffixes.

Inflection means a change in the form of a

word (typically the ending) to express a grammatical function or attribute such

as tense, mood, person, number, case, and gender.

So lets compare the 3:

Syntax: 「Chinese syntax is actually so simple that our attempt to understand it in English terms over-complicates it.」 That is not me saying this, but:

http://polyglot.wikidot.com/chinese-syntax

Simply put, you can change the order of words in many Chinese sentences relatively freely, without changing the meaning or the readability of your sentence.

English is more demanding according to the source. German is yet more strict than English, but this is not the main point why I think the German grammar is by far more complex and difficult than the English one.

That is actually the next point:

Morphology and especially inflections:

For this, I rather give you an example, instead of the abstract explanation. I am no

linguist, and all the Latin vocabulary of that science only confuses us more.

So, a very German example with a noun: the car: DAS Auto. Neutral case, no gender. Unlike DIE Mutter (mother) or DER Vater (father).

This is Jannys car: DAS ist Jannys Auto. = Nominative, 1st case, because here the car is the subject of the sentence.

The cars windshield is dirty. DES Autos Windschutzscheibe ist schmutzig.

Now, the windshield is the subject of the sentence. The car possesses the windshield, it is its windshield. The article "des" and the noun itself "Autos" have to be changed accordingly. This is called the Genitiv, or 2nd case.

Janny buys a cleaning detergent for the car. Janny kauft DEM Auto ein

Reinigungsmittel.

Now, the car is an indirect object: Janny is the subject, the detergent is the direct

object (Janny buys it), and the car is the indirect object (the detergent is

for the car).

In this particular case, only the article DEM shows the 3rd case (Dativ), the noun is the same in 3rd and 1st case. This is not necessarily the case with

all nouns. You have to know that by heart for every noun. There are regular

ones (follow a rule), and irregular ones (differ from the rule).

Janny washes the car. Janny w?scht DAS Auto.

Now, the car is the direct object, therefore in 4th case, also called Akkusativ.

By coincidence, the 4th and 1st case are the same for a car.

So we change the article and the noun, depending on the role in the sentence.

Chinese doesnt do that.

To begin with, there are no articles.

And because the written language is based on Chinese characters, which are derived from images/pictures, and not composed of letters, it is actually impossible to make such changes to a noun.

This was just a tiny example with a noun, the verbs are no better.

If you say in English: "I go, you go, he/she/it goes, we go, you go, they go",

you see that the 3rd person singular changes a little (the extra "s")

This is the "tiny" grammar in English

Now look at the same phrase in German:

Ich gehe, du gehst, er/sie/es geht, wir gehen, ihr geht, sie

gehen

All different....

In Chinese, the 「zou」 does not change.

Now go to the past and future tense. In Chinese, you add a "guo" or

"le" at the end of the phrase, thats it. That is the past.

Anything else is described by adding words like 「zuotien wanshang」「mingtien」 etc.

We have 3 different past tenses and 2 future tenses, depending on when this happened, and in relation to what other event.

The first past tense one is "Imperfekt".

Ich ging, du gingst, er/sie/es ging, wir gingen, ihr gingt, sie gingen

Different again of course, depending on the person...

The 「Perfekt」

Ich bin gegangen, du bist gegangen, er/sie/es ist gegangen, wir sind gegangen, ihr seid gegangen, sie sind gegangen

This is formed with the present of the verb ?sein「 (to be), and the 「past participle」of 「gehen」, which is 「gegangen」

The 「Plusquamperfekt" is the past which lies even ahead of another past.

Ich war gegangen, du warst gegangen, er/sie/es war gegangen, wir waren gegangen, ihr wart gegangen, sie waren gegangen.

This is formed with the simple past (Imperfekt) of the verb ?sein「 (to be), and the 「past participle」 of 「gehen」, which is 「gegangen」

Ill spare you the rules behind the 2 future tenses, you get the idea….

Comparing this to English, you will find the same tenses (times), and also the auxiliary construction with the verb 「to be」 is similar.

But again:

In English, you don』t have to 「conjugate」 (inflection of the verbs) other than paying attention to the 3rd person singular (he/she/it).

Also, the syntax (order of words) is more difficult in German, because unlike English,

the auxiliary verb 「to be」 and the main verb 「to go" will be split apart.

English: 「I WILL GO home now」

German: 「Ich WERDE jetzt nach Hause GEHEN」.

If you change that, it will be wrong !

The same is true for other words as well (personal pronouns like I, you, he/she/it, which in English are fix with the exception of the 2nd case, the possessive relation, but not in German).

Examples cases 1-4:

English: 「YOU are my friend」 German: 「DU bist mein Freund」

English: 「YOUR house is beautiful」 German 「DEIN Haus ist sch?n」

English: 「I give YOU the keys」 German 「Ich gebe DIR die Schlüssel」

English: ?I like YOU「 German 「Ich mag DICH」

I hope you see why I say the order of complexity of grammar is from most easy Chinese, over English, to German.

By the way:

French and Spanish are somewhere between English and German. They basically have the identical Grammar (derived from Latin), but the Spanish are more strict in its application.

-------------------------------------

So where do I see Chinese is more complex / how does Chinese make up for the simpler grammar?

As said before, the Chinese characters cannot be altered (no inflection), not for nouns (declination), not for verbs (conjugation), not for personal pronouns and so on.

So instead, the Chinese language uses additional words to express what is meant.

Chinese may add "Le" or "zhengzai" to express tense, as well as 「mingtian」

etc.

In many cases, there is a more precise vocabulary.

E.g. the measure words for counting things, like "Liang GE haize" or "Yi BEN shu". English or German dont really have that.

We also dont have such a sophisticated vocabulary to describe relationships in the family, e.g. with different words for 「older brother of the father", or 「younger

brother of the mother". The German equivalent is equally long as the English

transcription.

With the little Chinese I know, I cant judge, but I assume that in total, the Chinese

language can be equally precise, using more and more precise words.

With the same amount of "ink", the Chinese characters can express more words than the equivalent Latin letters.

Conclusion:

So I think the rout reason of "why one of the English education focuses is Grammar, while Chinese education has no focus on Grammar" is that Chinese has little grammar.

錯覺。