36.2379, Reviews: Grammatical Categories in Linguistics and Education: Holden Härtl, Katharina Zaychenko (eds.) (2024)

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Subject: 36.2379, Reviews: Grammatical Categories in Linguistics and Education: Holden Härtl, Katharina Zaychenko (eds.) (2024)

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Date: 10-Aug-2025
From: Yulia Baturova [yulia.baturova at ucd.ie]
Subject: Applied Linguistics, Cognitive Science, General Linguistics: Holden Härtl, Katharina Zaychenko (eds.) (2024)


Book announced at https://linguistlist.org/issues/35-3201

Title: Grammatical Categories in Linguistics and Education
Series Title: Trends in Applied Linguistics
Publication Year: 2024

Publisher: De Gruyter Mouton
           https://cloud.newsletter.degruyter.com/mouton
Book URL:
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783111140803/html

Editor(s): Holden Härtl, Katharina Zaychenko

Reviewer: Yulia Baturova

SUMMARY
Subjects: Applied Linguistics, Education, Cognitive Science, General
Linguistics
This volume comprises a range of discussions and approaches to grammar
teaching based on theoretical linguistics. The book is split into four
sections and 13 chapters, outlining novel research, practical
approaches to native and second language/foreign language teaching,
and addressing challenging concepts in a classroom setting. The
chapters cover a variety of languages and include case studies that
can be replicated by researchers and educators.
The book is targeted at researchers, linguists and educators.
Chapter 1: Editors, Härtl & Zaychenko, outline the central aim of the
book - bridging the gap between linguistic research and grammar
instruction - and introduce the conceptual foundations of the book. An
overview of the book’s structure is provided.
Section I: Theorizing linguistic concepts
Chapter 2: Sioupi & Grigoriadis’ chapter focuses on the representation
of (reflexively) marked and unmarked anticausatives in German as a
foreign language teaching (FLT) materials. The authors systematically
review how this alternation is represented in the Goethe Certificate
B1 word list and two L2 German grammar textbooks. Following the
analysis, a multi-level model is proposed to account for causative and
anticausative verb use, incorporating valency theory and argument
structure. Benefits of this approach include an increased student and
educator understanding of the interplay between syntax and semantics,
leading to a possible increase in use of the forms.
Chapter 3: Nygård & Brøseth discuss current grammar teaching with a
focus on the L1 Norwegian classroom and how introducing Generative
Grammar (GG) moves towards enquiry-based learning. The authors
highlight the prescriptive approach taken in textbooks, which focuses
more on writing rather than understanding the language system.
Furthermore, the current teachings portray grammar as static and rely
heavily on rote memorisation. To overcome some of the challenges posed
by this approach and to make use of students’ implicit knowledge,
Nygård & Brøseth propose the inclusion of a generative approach to
grammar teaching. The authors consider the existing variants of the
theory, but base their approach on overarching theoretical
foundations. One of the benefits attributed to this approach is that
the GG model is both fixed and flexible: recursive patterns are set,
and in the case of Norwegian, Åfarli (2005) suggests that five
syntactic structures can account for most sentences; however, the
model can be tailored to different levels.
Chapter 4: Klumm & Fetzer advocate for the implementation of discourse
grammar in the language classroom. Current language teaching
strategies focus largely on sentence grammar and rule-based
instruction aimed at grammatical sentence production. In light of
this, the authors consider the inclusion of discourse grammar as
beneficial to students’ development of discourse across various modes.
Focusing on continuative and contrastive discourse relations, advanced
L2 English students (L1 German) and L1 English students (control)
completed editing-based tasks in English. The students were asked to
fill in two skeleton texts - an argumentative commentary from the
Guardian, and a narrative student story - stripped of connectors. The
results suggest that there was no underuse of connectors in the L2
English group; however, native speakers used a wider range of
connectives.
Section II: Connecting linguistic research and language pedagogy
Chapter 5: Kádár discusses the existing divide between linguistic
research and language teaching, considering the reasons leading to a
lack of research-based methodology implementation in the classroom,
and how research findings could be “translated” to education.
Following on from work carried out by Kádár and her MA students, which
was incorporated into a new curriculum for L1 Hungarian, Kádár
outlines the approaches taken while developing textbooks and workshops
that incorporate research-based teaching. The chapter contains two
implementation examples, targeting focus and valency. In the first,
students are encouraged to develop their understanding of focus (in
Hungarian, a discourse-configurational language) and how manipulation
of syntactic structures can influence the sentence. The second, a
puzzle tool, helps students understand implicit semantic
relationships. These approaches support the implicit knowledge of
students and develop metalinguistic understanding.
Chapter 6: Geyer & Müller propose a language acquisition-informed
approach to L1 and L2 teaching in a school setting, which would
accommodate students of different levels and linguistic preconditions.
The authors systematically review existing literature on grammar
education and focus on the timing of acquisition, empirically proven
acquisition paths, using salient forms as starting points, and using
the resources of multilingual learners and draw suggestions that could
be implemented in the classroom. Focusing on the German case system,
the chapter highlights current issues in case teaching and proposes
considerations to note during lesson plan preparation, including the
gradual introduction of cases.
Section III: The role of empirical data
Chapter 7: Pinto & Alexandre explore the use of corpora in teaching L2
(European) Portuguese to L1 Chinese speakers. The authors consider the
current use of corpus-informed materials by foreign-language teachers
(FLT) and advocate for systematic use of corpora in the FLT classroom.
The study makes use of the Corpus de Referência do Português
Contemporâneo (CRPC) and the Portuguese as a Foreign Language/Second
Language (COPLE2) corpora, the latter of which is annotated for
errors. A subcorpus of COPLE2, consisting of L1 Chinese speakers, was
analysed to determine language use patterns and error tendencies with
a focus on cross-linguistic influence of the L1. The analysis showed
that students exhibit feature transfer from their L1 when attempting
to produce relative clauses. The chapter was supplemented by a
proposed teaching activity based on corpus entries.
Chapter 8: Fiorista, Della Putta & Samu implement a Cognitive
Grammar-inspired approach to teaching the perfective/imperfective
aspectual alternation in L2 Italian. The authors consider the benefits
of integrating cognitive grammar (CG) in teaching challenging and
complex grammar rules, the role of the speaker, and how teaching with
CG principles in mind can support learners’ understanding of cognitive
mechanisms of their target language. The study, carried out as a
classroom intervention, implements a systematic approach by first
introducing the idea of external and internal viewpoints when
discussing the past and then moves to multimodal activities, including
image manipulation tasks and a physical enactment. Final testing
(compared to pre-test results) showed that the CG intervention
positively impacted student understanding of aspect in Italian and
improved learner test scores compared to the control group.
Chapter 9: Tengler advocates for an “acquisitionally informed
pedagogy” relating to the French verbal system. The chapter focuses on
tense and aspect acquisition of French in Austrian schools, and
considers how verification of readiness could be carried out to
discern what grammar students are equipped to acquire, and what may
prove too challenging, in turn, building up an acquisition sequence of
tense and aspect in foreign language teaching (FLT). The study was
carried out via written text production tasks, one to elicit past
forms and one to elicit future forms. Results suggest that the
indicatif présent, passé composé and futur proche are successfully
produced by students of this level, but the indicatif imparfait and
futur simple may be too challenging at this stage.
Section IV: Implementing linguistic categories into the foreign
language learning classroom
Chapter 10: Braun, Gese & Ihle propose a novel visual-semantic
approach to teaching present perfect (PP) and simple past (SP) tenses.
The study was carried out via classroom interventions in Southern
Germany, and considered the differences between Upper German Perfekt,
Swabian Perfekt and the interplay with English PP. The chapter
explores current approaches to teaching PP in the classroom (including
the focus on “signal words”) and how this may be an obstacle to
learning. The visual-semantic methodology was implemented in the
intervention group, which showed improved L2 competence compared to
the control group, as well as metalinguistic competence.
Chapter 11: Grund & Kabak explore the cross-linguistic influence (CLI)
of L1 German on L2 English student use of the present perfect tense
(PP) and simple past tense (SP). By way of a cloze test, the study
evaluates the use of the two target tenses by advanced students of
English in comparison with their L1 English instructors. The authors
consider the potential influence of the German Perfekt and its
similarity to PP as a support, but note that there is overlap between
the Perfekt and SP. Findings suggest that even advanced students of L2
English find the PP more challenging compared to the SP; however, the
use of both the SP and PP is similar in pattern to that of the
instructors.
Chapter 12: Weicker discusses how notions from semantic theory can be
integrated into teaching comparatives in a German elementary school.
The current prescriptive definitions used in textbooks to teach
adjectives focus on three key criteria; however, the author notes that
it is challenging to apply these criteria, as they do not encompass
all adjectives. Following an analysis of three current textbook
series, Weicker proposes a visual sorting task to teach antonyms to
second-grade students, followed by a similar task in grade three to
introduce comparatives. This process is repeated with different types
of adjectives of varying gradability.
Chapter 13: Editors Härtl & Zaychenko note the importance of combining
linguistic research and pedagogical practice to support learners’
language proficiency and encourage metalinguistic understanding, as
well as enhancing the strategies implemented by educators.
EVALUATION
The book is well situated in the current discourse of language
teaching and provides a variety of compelling discussions, approaches
and methodologies. The collection contains theoretical reflections
that would be beneficial to researchers and educators alike, as well
as case studies of curriculum modification and practical approaches
that can be implemented into lesson plans. The chapters vary in terms
of learner levels and languages, and consider the importance of
learners’ metalinguistic understanding. Several chapters encouraged
the use of visual aids, manipulation tasks and physical activities
when tackling complex and ambiguous topics in the classroom. Combined
with practical outlines of how interventions were implemented, these
approaches may be particularly useful tools for L1 and L2 educators
alike.
The book is structured logically, dividing the chapters into
respective sections that move from a largely theoretical and
research-focused approach to empirically backed and applied approaches
to teaching. The only drawback with this structure is that there was
noticeable overlap between consecutive chapters discussing the present
perfect and simple past tenses (Chapters 10 & 11). Though both
chapters addressed the topic from varying perspectives, the
similarities detracted from the texts and caused unwanted comparisons.
Nonetheless, in an edited book with many chapters and authors, this is
not unexpected and therefore not a major criticism.
All chapters provide varied and compelling insights; however, the two
standout chapters are 5 and 10. In Chapter 5, Kádár draws on the
experience of implementing research previously carried out by Kádár
and her MA students into a new curriculum for L1 Hungarian. The
chapter serves as a detailed insight into how linguistic research has
successfully made its way into educational materials and some of the
practical teaching tools that are used. The Chapter serves as an
inspiration to researchers and educators who aim to and already use
research-backed grammar pedagogy.
In Chapter 10, Braun, Gese & Ihle provide a detailed yet accessible
visualisation aimed to teach tense to L2 English learners. The
easy-to-follow approach has a two-fold benefit in that it improves
target language competence and develops a deeper understanding of
technical linguistic knowledge. The approach to evaluation is
particularly interesting in that it not only considers written text
but also the visualisations produced by students, indicating that even
if a student may not be able to articulate the technical knowledge,
the supplementation of this with visualisations indicates added
understanding.
REFERENCES
Åfarli, Tor A. 2005. Bestemmer verbets semantikk verbets
argumentstruktur? [Does the semantics of the verb determine the verb’s
argument structure?] In S. Lie, G. Nedrelid & H. Omdal (eds.), MONS
10: utvalde artiklar frå det tiande Møte om norsk språk i Kristiansand
2003, 317–329. Høyskoleforlaget.
Davydova, Julia. 2011. The present perfect in non-native Englishes: A
corpus-based study of variation (Topics in English Linguistics 77).
Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
Kádár, Edith. 2020. Standard language and non-dominant varieties in
education. Curricular reform and teaching Hungarian as L1 in Romania.
In Rudolf Muhr, Ildikó Vančo, István Kozmács & Máté Huber (eds.),
Hungarian as a Pluricentric Language in Language and Literature,
197–210. Wien et. al.: Peter Lang Verlag.
Leech, Geoffrey & Jan Svartvik. 1986. A communicative grammar of
English. Harlow: Longman.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Yulia Baturova holds a Master’s degree in Linguistics from Trinity
College Dublin with a thesis on cross-linguistic influence on L2
English clause structure. Her research interests include theoretical
and applied approaches to language acquisition, attrition, and
bilingualism, as well as a newer interest in computational and
forensic linguistics.



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