Theories of grammar: assumptions, objectives, methodology

In this section, we compare cognitive approaches to grammar with generative and functional-typological approaches. Of course, these are not the only theories of grammar that exist, and there are approaches that might not align themselves directly with any of these three traditions. It is also important to emphasise that each of these theoretical approaches can be subdivided into a number of approaches that might differ significantly. Indeed, this has become clear not only in our discussion of different cognitive approaches but in our investigation of the ‘broadly generative’ Construction Grammar approach developed by Kay and Fillmore, which departs in significant ways from the transformational approach developed by Chomsky, which we elaborate on below. A further complication is that these broad categories may overlap significantly. For example, the work of certain researchers could in principle be classified as partly cognitive and functional-typological in nature. We might characterise the work of William Croft and Bernd Heine in this way. We could also place Kay and Fillmore’s Construction Grammar theory on the border line between cognitive and generative approaches in a number of respects, as we saw in Chapters 19 and 20. As these comments suggest, approaches to grammar, like most categories, have fuzzy boundaries. Despite these difficulties in drawing sharp dividing lines, these three broad categories represent the prominent traditions in approaches to grammar. Furthermore, these three approaches are interrelated in important ways, as we will elaborate below.

The emphasis in this section is on the assumptions, aims and methodology adopted by each of these approaches. Figure 22.1 represents the three traditions and includes a representative but non-exhaustive list of theories and/or researchers associated with that tradition. The reader will observe that most of the comparative discussion in this book has focused on the differences between cognitive and generative (‘formal’) approaches while we have had little to say about the functional-typological approaches. This is because the cognitive approach to grammar originally grew out of a reaction against the generative approach and defined itself explicitly against that tradition. However, functional approaches to language, particularly the functional-typological approach, have also informed and influenced the cognitive approach in a number of important ways, although this influence is not always explicitly acknowledged in the literature. We therefore include in this section a brief discussion of this type of approach.

 Any theory of grammar can be characterised along three parameters: assumptions, objectives and methodology. The assumptions of a theory reflect the philosophical orientation of that theory in terms of how it sees the nature of the relationship between language, thought and world. The objectives of a theory reflect what that theory seeks to establish, describe or explain. The methodology of a theory reflects the ways in which it sets about meeting those objectives.

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