Thoughts on growing a grammar
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David J. Weber
Abstract
Grammars take time; they require data development; they must be planned; and their writing may span many years. Linguists should “grow” a grammar through the course of their involvement with the language. This paper gives practical advice about this process, such as the creation and management of a data corpus, the acquisition of useful intellectual tools, the choice of an effective authoring environment, the formation of habits and disciplines that contribute to successful grammar writing.
Abstract
Grammars take time; they require data development; they must be planned; and their writing may span many years. Linguists should “grow” a grammar through the course of their involvement with the language. This paper gives practical advice about this process, such as the creation and management of a data corpus, the acquisition of useful intellectual tools, the choice of an effective authoring environment, the formation of habits and disciplines that contribute to successful grammar writing.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Introduction 1
- Contextualizing a grammar 11
- Writing grammars for the community 19
- Collective field work 25
- Grammars and the community 45
- From parts of speech to the grammar 71
- Grammar writing for a grammar-reading audience 113
- A grammar as a communicative act, or what does a grammatical description really describe? 127
- A typology of good grammars 143
- Thoughts on growing a grammar 173
- The linguistic example 199
- Index 215
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Introduction 1
- Contextualizing a grammar 11
- Writing grammars for the community 19
- Collective field work 25
- Grammars and the community 45
- From parts of speech to the grammar 71
- Grammar writing for a grammar-reading audience 113
- A grammar as a communicative act, or what does a grammatical description really describe? 127
- A typology of good grammars 143
- Thoughts on growing a grammar 173
- The linguistic example 199
- Index 215
