Generic Grammar Course? (was RE: Why students do not study Russia n anymore)

[Wayles Browne]

Kenneth Udut wonders:

>Do any colleges/universities offer
>a course in plain ol' grammar?
>
>That is - some kind of course that
>brings together all *known* possibilities of
>grammar 'styles' and gives examples, definitions,
>explanations, etc?
>
>For example: this hypothetical course, without
>teaching any *specific* language, would
>rather teach whatever the max # of known
>cases are - I think it's, what - 8 in Indo-european languages,
>and something like 15 in the Finnish one?  [I forget],
>and what they're all about.
>
>It would teach all the different potential known
>genders - hopefully erasing once and for all
>the "Why male and female and neuter distinctions?" question...
>
>It would teach the various potential word orders
>that are known.

Indeed they do. There is a science that deals with all these
things. It is called linguistics. Over 150 U.S. colleges
and universities have introductory linguistics courses,
and some have upper-level courses dealing with linguistic
typology, which is precisely the study of all the different
possible categories and structures that different languages
show.

Yours faithfully,

Wayles Browne, Assoc. Prof. of Linguistics
Department of Linguistics
Morrill Hall 321, Cornell University
Ithaca, New York 14853, U.S.A.

tel. 607-255-0712 (o), 607-273-3009 (h)
fax 607-255-2044 (write FOR W. BROWNE)
e-mail ewb2 at cornell.edu

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                http://members.home.net/lists/seelangs/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------