It is generally accepted that the Spanish subjunctive is the mood of nonassertion. The nonassertion analysis exposes, but leaves unexplained, the fact that both true and untrue propositions can be marked with the subjunctive. A prototype analysis of Spanish mood shows how categories of unassertable information are related via their negative relationship to a prototype of assertability. In addition, the prototype analysis offers a framework for explaining such phenomena as stylistically marked usage of -r&past subjunctive morphology, the contrast between the two past subjunctive forms, and the distribution of subjunctive and indicative after si 'if.
There are two major arguments for including grammar in the university Spanish curriculum: 1) that grammar identifies productive patterns that can serve as organizing principles for learning, and 2) that the structure of Spanish constitutes part of the knowledge that a humanities-based education is designed to impart. Recent research in the focus on form model has superseded the dichotomous debate on acquisition versus learning and provided a research-based justification for using grammar to focus student attention on productive patterns. Grammar should also play a role beyond the basic language sequence; because one of the defining characteristics of a language is its grammar, it is a natural component of cultural studies (a view supported by the ACTFL standards). Restricting the debate about teaching grammar to the realm of applied linguistics produces unrealistic expectations for the language classes and a lost opportunity for engagement with language data in the culture classes.Is ignorance of language bliss? And if so, are linguists only pursuing a hobby, reaching conclusions that they had best keep to themselves? Dwight Bolinger
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