THE ENGLISH GRAMMAR: A GUIDE; NOT A CAGE
One of the meanings of grammar is that it is an embodiment of the rules that guide the standard or appropriate usage of a language. Languages are rule governed and every language has its own rules. Expressions that conform to the rules of a language are tagged grammatical and those that flout the rules are said to be ungrammatical. A good mastery of the rules of a language gives a language user the necessary confidence during any speaking or writing engagement. As important as these rules of standard usage are, a question that comes to mind is: ARE THE SPEAKERS OF ANY LANGUAGE SLAVES TO THESE RULES?
A language is, first and foremost, a medium of expression and a carrier of thought. It is a veritable tool for the conveyance of emotion. All these vital functions of the human language make rules a less important property in the instrumentality of language. Rules are important but they should not take the place of naturalness in language use. The rules of a language should not be prescribed like drugs and language users should not be seen as sick people who must adhere religiously to drugs.
Some of the prescriptive rules of the English language include:
1. Don’t end a sentence with a preposition.
2. Don’t split infinitives.
3. Don’t use “that” in place of “who”.
4. Don’t use “quick” and “slow” as adverbs.
5. Don’t start a sentence with a conjunction.
All of these rules sometimes prevent the place of natural usage.
In line with the fifth rule for instance, would there not be a difference between the two sentences below:
1. My brother finally arrived!
2. And my brother finally arrived.
The first conforms to the rule which says that a sentence should not start with a conjunction but the second conveys the emotion of the speaker more clearly. Language users are therefore not to be made prisoners of rules as language is primarily a natural human possession before being a school subject taught with almost too many rules.
Now, I can guess that those who follow my daily lessons, on social media and my website, on standard usage are wondering: Could this be coming from this dude who feeds us with rules daily? Yes, it is I who am always teaching the rules that am also saying the rules are guides, not cages. A good knowledge of the rules boosts your confidence and deviation is only a style when the norms are well understood.
(c) 2018 Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (GAB).
