What would English be like without grammar? If grammar didn't exist and there were no rules to language, how would that change the way we speak?
I made these questions on my own because I think it would be interesting to add into my paper.
My own thought is that language is of no use unless it can be understood by the other people we come in contact with or wish to communicate with. Spelling, rules of grammar, word usage (commonly understood meanings of words) are essential to that process. If each person, or each family, or each age group (whatever) invented its own language variations, communication would be severely impaired. What do YOU think?
Look up Beowulf and/or any of Shakespeare's plays in their original language. (No modern English translations!) Actually, look up anything written in English before 1700 and read it aloud.
Let us know what you discover.
Writeacher has a good point. Language (including the rules of grammar) does change over time. Such changes come about by common usage though, and in response to new ideas, ne developments in science, philosophy, etc., but by COMMON usage and need. Just the other day I read a comment on social media about collages (followed by a string of words that made no sense at all). I thought the writer was talking about a mixed-media art work. He wasn't. He was talking about institutions of higher education, but what he intended to say was still very unclear.
My answer was that no one would be able to understand each other but I didn't know how to write that.
You just said it very succinctly! Exactly. No one would be able to understand anyone else. The rules of grammar help make our words understandable to others.
Without grammar no one would know how to speak, leaving the world without no way to communicate
If grammar didn't exist and there were no rules to language, English would likely be quite different from what it is today. Grammar provides structure and rules that help convey meaning and ensure clear communication. Without grammar, English would become a highly chaotic and confusing language to use and understand.
Here are a few ways that English without grammar might change the way we speak:
1. Lack of Sentence Structure: Grammar provides rules for forming sentences, such as word order and syntax. Without these rules, sentences would become jumbled and disorganized. Communication would be much more difficult as people would struggle to understand each other's intended meaning.
2. Ambiguity and Misinterpretation: Grammar helps to clarify meaning and avoid ambiguity. Without grammar, it would be challenging to convey precise meanings, leading to misunderstandings and misinterpretations. People would have to rely heavily on context and guesswork to grasp each other's intended messages.
3. Absence of Tenses and Verb Conjugations: Grammar allows us to indicate time through tenses and modify verbs to match subject and tense. Without grammar, the concept of time and verb agreement would be difficult to express. This would make it challenging to talk about past, present, and future events, and it would be tricky to distinguish between singular and plural subjects.
4. Loss of Clarity and Logic: Grammar provides rules for logical expression of ideas, such as using conjunctions, prepositions, and logical connectors. Without grammar, it would be challenging to structure coherent arguments, relate ideas, and express logical relationships between concepts. Communication would become fragmented and illogical.
In summary, if grammar didn't exist and there were no rules to language, English would likely become a chaotic and confusing form of communication. Clear expression of ideas, logical reasoning, and accurate interpretation would become significant challenges. Grammar plays a vital role in organizing language and allowing effective communication.