What The Fuck Is Grammar Anyway?
One of the scariest concepts in human history is finally demystified. Hold my hand and read on!
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Most people who study a foreign language know that grammar is important, but few know why. Even fewer know what it really is.
Grammar is one of those “big words” like work and art whose meaning is often confusing because we learn them at an age when we don’t have the necessary experience to truly understand them.
Unlike art, however, grammar is very easy to define.
Imagine you’re an artist who wants to paint a portrait. Your objective is to create a two-dimensional representation of the human model that stands in front of you. You squint. You measure the proportions of the figure, looking for symmetries and matching angles. You study the expression and the body language. Then comes the first stroke: You take a pencil and draw an ellipse marking the head, then add a line to indicate the eye level, and so on…
What you’re actually doing is defining the visual grammar that will help you create a representation of the model you see. And here’s the really important part: You understand, instinctively, that these proportions, symmetries, and angles are not the building blocks of the person in front of you. That person, needless to say, is made of flesh and blood.
The same goes for language. Grammar is not some fundamental ingredient. It’s just a method we invent to explain how language works. And, going back to the drawing example, it can change drastically if your model decides to move. Then all the proportions and angles will have to be redefined, again and again.
Each time you feel discouraged because your grammar isn’t perfect, remember what the Bible says:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Grammar came second.