Analyzing Grammar: An Introduction

Citation

Kroeger, P. R. (2005). Analyzing Grammar: An Introduction. Cambridge University Press.

Knowledge and Historical Background

"Analyzing Grammar" emerged from Paul Kroeger's extensive experience in field linguistics and language documentation, particularly his work on Philippine languages. The textbook fills a crucial gap in linguistics education by focusing specifically on the practical skills needed to analyze grammatical structures in unfamiliar languages.

This work reflects the growing recognition that linguistics students need training in descriptive grammar and cross-linguistic analysis, skills essential for field work, language documentation, and typological research. It represents a shift from purely theoretical approaches to more practical, hands-on training in grammatical analysis.

Teaching Philosophy

The textbook emphasizes that grammatical analysis is a skill that requires practice with diverse language data. It teaches students to approach unfamiliar grammatical phenomena systematically, developing hypotheses and testing them against linguistic evidence from a wide range of language families.

Core Concepts

Morphological Analysis

Morpheme identification, allomorphic variation, morphophonological processes, and techniques for analyzing complex morphological systems.

Lexical Categories

Word classes, criteria for identifying parts of speech, and cross-linguistic variation in lexical categorization.

Grammatical Relations

Subject, object, and other grammatical relations, their identification and cross-linguistic expression.

Clause Structure

Basic clause types, argument structure, voice systems, and clause-level grammatical patterns.

Complex Predicates

Serial verbs, auxiliary constructions, causatives, and other complex predicate types.

Noun Phrases

Noun phrase structure, determination, modification, and possession marking across languages.

Information Structure

Topic and focus, word order variation, and how information packaging affects grammatical structure.

Coordination and Subordination

Complex sentence structure, relative clauses, complement clauses, and adverbial clauses.

Significance and Impact

"Analyzing Grammar" has influenced linguistics education by providing practical training in grammatical analysis that complements theoretical coursework. Its emphasis on cross-linguistic comparison has helped students develop a more sophisticated understanding of grammatical diversity.

The textbook's focus on analysis techniques has been particularly valuable for students pursuing field linguistics, language documentation, or typological research, providing essential skills for working with understudied languages.

Conclusion

"Analyzing Grammar" provides essential skills for understanding how grammatical systems work across different languages. Its practical approach and comprehensive coverage prepare students for advanced work in descriptive linguistics and cross-linguistic research.

The textbook's emphasis on analytical techniques and cross-linguistic perspective makes it invaluable for students seeking to understand the full range of human grammatical diversity and the methods used to study it.