Grammar

Grammar is the study of the rules which govern the use of a language. That set of rules is also called the language's grammar, and each language has its own, distinct grammar. An expert in that field of study is called a grammarian. Grammar falls within a larger set of studies which is called linguistics.

The subfields of grammar are phonology, morphology and syntax.

Speakers of a language follow that language's grammar as a common convention that makes the language coherent. Violation of the grammar makes one's speech ambiguous and difficult to understand. Because of its importance in facilitating communication, grammar is a primary focus in education from a young age through advanced learning.

Most languages' grammars developed naturally over time through usage, as early languages lacked formal, written rules. Each speaker was required to develop an innate sense of grammar by observing usage.

Formal grammars are codifications of the usages that were developed by observation. As the rules became established and developed the concept of grammatical correctness arose. This can often create a gulf between contemporary usage and the form accepted as correct.

Planned languages are more common in the modern day, whether they have been designed to aid human communication (Esperanto), created as part of a work of Fiction, (Klingon Language and Elvish language) or used for the purpose of computer programming (Java programming language). Each of these artifical languages have their own grammar.

There are a number of types of grammar that linguists recognise.

Prescriptive grammar: is an attempt to tell the users of the language how to use it in order to speak 'correctly'.

Descriptive Grammar: is the method of describing the language as it is being used, regardless whether it is considered 'correct' or not.

Teaching grammar: a combination of prescriptive and descriptive approaches with the aim of teaching a language to foreigners. In teaching grammars it is often 'necessary' to simplify in order to achieve success.

Generative Grammar: is a way of describing a language so that if the rules are followed, then grammatically correct forms of that language can be constructed.

See the following grammatical terms:

It is a myth that analytic languages have simpler grammar than synthetic languages. That languages have different levels of grammatical complexness can be shown to be false by realizing the fact that changes to words are not the only kind of grammar. Chinese is very context dependent. In other words, context accomplishes the same role as declension and conjugation. (Chinese does have some inflections, and more so in the past.) Latin, which is synthetic, uses affixes and inflections to accomplish the same role that Chinese does with syntax. Because Latin words are quite (though not completly) self-contained, a sentance can be made from scattered elements. In short, Latin has a complex affixion and a simple syntax, while Chinese has the opposite.

In computer science, the syntax of each programming language is defined by a formal grammar. In theoretical computer science and mathematics, formal grammars define formal languages. The Chomsky hierarchy defines several important classes of formal grammars.