ABSTRACT
In modern generative theory, “grammar” refers to the highly integrated system of knowledge underlying the behavior (e.g., production, comprehension, acceptability judgments) of the speakers of a language. However, many foreign language textbooks continue to assume a more traditional notion of “grammar” as a set of prescriptive rules applying only within the domains of syntax and inflectional morphology. This tendency is illustrated through an examination of eight recent French texts designed for first-year college study. The result is an artificial separation between “grammar” and “communication” that may actually impede the development of a true generative grammar of the target language.
