Content area
Abstract
In the late Middle Ages an innovative group of grammarians, traditionally identified as the “Modistae,” appeared in Europe. Questions concerning the beauty and rationality of language struck the Modistic grammarians with a fresh force, and they began thinking about how words have meaning and about the causes of the grammatical structure of language. The Modistae maintained that grammar is an autonomous and independent science similar to the speculative sciences like natural philosophy, mathematics, and metaphysics. As the Modistic movement crystallized, these grammarians documented a universal grammar and, as they were primarily teachers of grammar attempting to develop a new method of instruction of Latin, we find documentation of the beginning of a pedagogical system.
The themes addressed in this dissertation are: (1) The current debate concerning the place of explicit grammar instruction in formal foreign language acquisition leading to prestige foreign language acquisition; (2) The key relationships, similarities, and parallels between contemporary and historical grammar theory; and, (3) Current research on applied pedagogical theories of language acquisition.
This research is, more than anything else, a work concerned with perspectives, perceptions, concepts, and orientation. It promotes and advocates: (1) explicit grammar instruction; (2) the benefit of looking to history to inform current grammatical theories and issues, specifically, the predecessors, pioneers, and innovators of the Middle Ages and their contributions to foreign language acquisition; and (3) the amelioration of the explicit versus implicit grammar debate in order to advance the fortunes of contemporary foreign language acquisition. These pages contain an investigation—some might say a synthesis—of historical grammar theory, modern grammar theory, Modism, Thomas of Erfurt, Noam Chomsky, foreign language acquisition theory, and mentalism. The expressed intent is to prompt the reader to acquire a less rigid “view” concerning the matrices of historical and modern concepts and theories.
This is not a linguistic work that analyzes grammar theory, nor does it present, create, or design pedagogical models for grammar instruction or language acquisition. I approach Thomas of Erfurt and Noam Chomsky from a historical perspective. I argue that there are many dramatic “parallels” between the theories and writings of Thomas of Erfurt, Modism, and Noam Chomsky.