Towards a Psycho-Grammatical Description of the English Language

Jean-Rémi Lapaire (1) , Wilfrid Rotge (2, 3)

1 UT2J - Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès
2 UP4 - Université Paris-Sorbonne
3 CeLiSo - Centre de Linguistique en Sorbonne

This paper describes a framework in which sentences are treated as 'constructions' involving 'workings of the mind' or psycho-grammatical operations. Operations are intrinsically dynamic and reflect not only the speaker's linguistic competence but also the way in which the mind functions in a given environment. The paper warns of the dangers of a purely descriptive and 'mimetic' conception of language which confuses word and world and denies the relative autonomy of grammar. Finally, key concepts are surveyed which playa leading role in textual analysis such as contextualization, short, medium and long term memory, and discourse strategy. These points are illustrated primarily using grammar pOints which often cause students problems.

Mots clés: Grammar; English grammar; Cognitive grammar; English as a Foreign Language EFL

Domaines: Linguistique; Education

Jean-Rémi Lapaire, Wilfrid Rotge. Towards a Psycho-Grammatical Description of the English Language. TESOL Journal, 1996, 3 (1). ⟨halshs-01633158⟩