Language Awareness Robert Buckmaster Independent Language Researcher 5 th January 2018
1. Transformations 2. Language Awareness and Folk Rules 3. Nouns 4. The Language Awareness Challenge
Transformations
Transformations 1: The Passive Active vs Passive The police arrested him yesterday. He was arrested yesterday.
Transformations 1: The Passive
Transformations 1: The Passive Start here The police The police arrested The police arrested him The police arrested him yesterday.
Transformations 1: The Passive Start here He He was He was arrested He was arrested yesterday.
Transformations 1: The Passive Start here He was arrested yesterday.
Transformations 1: The Passive The police were accused of brutality
Transformations 1: The Passive The police arrested him. He was arrested. The enemy attacked us We were attacked.
Transformations 2: Questions
Transformations 2: Questions
Transformations 2: Questions I am a teacher. Are you a teacher? Be = Condition marker verb Are = Present + you/they/we Initial be = question
Transformations 2: Questions He likes her. Do you like her? do = truth verb do = Present + you/they/we/i Initial do = question about the truth of a proposition
Language Awareness and Folk Rules
Language Awareness and Folk Rules 1 used to something which happened in the past but does not happen now I used to smoke [but I don t now]. I used to live here when I was a boy; I m glad to be living here again.
Language Awareness and Folk Rules 2 Some and Any some for positive statements, any for negatives and questions I like any kind of modern music. Could I have some more please?
Language Awareness and Folk Rules 3 Few and a few a few [positive] and few [negative] Few people come here in the winter. It s great: peace and quiet. A few people came. It was very disappointing: we d expected more.
Language Awareness and Folk Rules 4 Present Continuous annoying habits She s always biting her nails. He s always buying me flowers or chocolates or expensive trinkets. It s so sweet.
Language Awareness and Folk Rules 5 a/an and the use a/an for the first mention, and the for the second. I saw a man walking down the street. The man was wearing a trench coat. I saw a man walking down the street. He was wearing a trench coat.
Language Awareness and Folk Rules 6 a/an and the use a/an for the first mention, and the for the second. The blue whale is the world s largest animal. A blue whale is the world s largest animal.
Language Awareness and Folk Rules 7 Countable or Uncountable? House He s bought a house. She owns many houses. They bought too much house and now are having trouble paying off their mortgage.
Language Awareness and Folk Rules 8 Countable or Uncountable? Work She owns many works by Picasso. This is a fine piece of work. I have too much work to do.
Language Awareness and Folk Rules 9 Countable or Uncountable? Chair There are two chairs in the picture. Could I have some chair please?
Language Awareness and Folk Rules 10 The Past Continuous In a shop: Assistant: Can I help you? Customer: I was wondering about that jacket.
Language Awareness and Folk Rules 11 The Past Continuous Two friends talking: Alex: What are you up to this weekend? Harry: I was thinking about going to the cinema. Do you want to come?
Language Awareness and Folk Rules 12 The Past Simple If I had a car, I could drive there. [had = past simple, would = past of will] The form of the second conditional is past, but the meaning is not. [Longman Wordflo].
Language Awareness and Folk Rules 13 Will is the Future He ll be there now let s call him. [i.e. there now] He ll be arriving at the station about now. [i.e. happening now] He ll have arrived at the station by now. [i.e. before now: in the past]
Language Awareness and Folk Rules 14 Tense does not = Time. Tense = Distance. [see the Language Awareness Challenge].
Nouns
Humpty Dumpty "When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean- neither more nor less." "The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things." "The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master-that's all."
Nouns 1 Sarah is a beautiful girl. [You and I know Sarah.] France is a lovely country. [You and I know France.] Tigers are endangered. [You and I know about tigers.]
Nouns 2 I m not sure the Sarah I know is the one you know. The France I know is not the inner cities but the beautiful countryside. The tigers over there came from other zoos.
Packets of Information the Sarah I know - a Noun Packet Verb Packets: have been being followed Preposition-Fronted Packets: over there at the end of the day
Nouns 3 Vienna He grew up in a Vienna of high inflation and unemployment, intrigue, and political violence. The Vienna he grew up in was dominated by high inflation and unemployment, intrigue, and political violence.
Nouns 4 1. By pointing to them as close or distant: this book; that book; these books; those books 2. By numbering them: There are ten books missing. This is the first time I ve been here. 3. By specifying a quantity: I have some books with me. [also much, many, some, few, any etc.] 4. By possessing them: That is my book. Here is your book. [also his, her, their, mine etc.]
Nouns 5 5. By naming their owner: That s John s car. 6. By identifying them as one of many possible ones of the class/type: Look! There s a rabbit. 7. By identifying them as the one [of the class/type] we know: There s the moon. 8. By identifying them as the one [of the class/type] which will be known [defined] later: The thing I want most in the world is to kiss you; The one I mean.
Nouns 6 (1) nouns need to be identifiable enough, (2) the marks nouns are the one you know already or (3) the one you will know when you are told which one it is.
Nouns 7 Identifiable Enough: Name + Type/Type + Name Pitcairn Island Easter Island Ben Nevis [Mount] Everest Annapurna Scarfell Mount Blanc Victoria Falls Angel Falls Loch Lomond Lake Ontario London Road Regent s Street High Street
Nouns 8 The One We Know I m just popping out to the shops. I went to the doctor today. The train was late. Let s meet at the cinema. I ll see you in the pub. The moon looked beautiful last night. There are some more shop closures on the High Street
Nouns 9 The Defined Noun Love is a many splendoured thing. The love I have for you is infinite. Their love is very fragile. Politics is a nasty business. The politics of personal destruction is a dangerous game. John's politics are not very coherent. Look on the first page. I live in the tallest building.
Nouns 10 The Type of a Name/Thing the city of London the United States of America That s the type of car I d like to buy. That s the kind of silly remark I don t like. That s the sort of thing I m talking about. the best of times, the worst of times the politics of personal destruction
Nouns 11 The Noun in Opposition to Other Members of the Class Example Full Name Opposition/Type the Pacific the Pacific Ocean the Atlantic Ocean/Oceans
Nouns 12 There have been ten cyclones in the Pacific [Ocean] this year. Pacific [Ocean] currents are weaker this year. The new play at the Palace [Theatre] is fantastic. Palace Theatre employees went on strike yesterday. The British Museum is London's best. British Museum exhibits attracted 2 million visitors last year.
Nouns 13 The Pacific [Ocean] currents we measured are weaker this year. The Palace [Theatre] employees who went on strike have been sacked. The new British Museum exhibits attracted 2 million visitors last year.
Nouns 14 Whales Whales are large mammals which live in the sea. Look! There s a whale. Look at that whale over there Look at the whale over there - it s quite unusual. A whale is a large marine mammal. The whale is the largest marine mammal.
Nouns 15 Questions What does this noun mean? How do I know what it means? How do I make this noun mean what I want it to mean? Will people understand what I want it to mean?
The Noun Phrase Before the Noun Noun After the Noun Identifier Adverb Adjective Noun Relative clauses Done Clause Do-ing clause Prepostitional clause Prospective to clause The very large petrol station
The Ideas of English Grammar
Formal Intensity of Study and Amount of Data Intensity Amount of Data
Formal Intensity of Study and Amount of Data Intensity High intensity Low data High intensity High data Low intensity Low data Low intensity High data Amount of Data
The Language Awareness Challenge
Language Awareness Challenge
Language Awareness Challenge Go to www.englishideas.org Find The Language Awareness Challenge
And Finally.. Thank You! Merry Christmas