Output, grammar and linguistics

Here is a rambling podcast on this subject. I may do a shorter videocast later.

I would like to respond to the recent comments from Chris and Roni that discuss three issues that relate to my input based approach to language study.

How do we get to accurate output? What is the role of grammar, whether it be the need to speak in a grammatically correct fashion, or the benefit or studying grammar? And what is the role or usefulness of linguistics, including socio-linguistics?

Comments

[Roni]

Thank you for your extensive response. I must also thank you for pronouncing my name correctly! You are one of a very special handful of people!

I like what you said about listening while speaking. I would also suggest that it should extend to looking as well. I feel that almost every part of a language has a feeling, a facial expression and a gesture and as you say, emotional involvement in a language is fundamental, to help us learn and find this. So when I speak, especially with language I have just picked up, I always watch. It is like a mirror to see the effect of a word. I feel this is an absolutely essential part of learning and a weakness some language teachers whose lessons I have experience who usually tell me 'No' and often quote a rule to me.

I find this 'mirror' especially useful in Japanese which such a varied degree of politeness and rudeness in the language most of which I test on my poor girlfriend, who either laughs at me, frowns at me, or just looks completely confused and screams 'What are you talking about!'. This way is always fun. However, I don't practise this on anyone else except closer acquaintances.

About studying grammar rules, I think they sometimes feel like a saying that your mother (or in this case teacher) would quote to you when you did something wrong as a kid. You never understand the meaning of what she said until you have some experience that shows you exactly and you learn for yourself. I think too many instructive rules can often mean that you feel like you can't form your own ideas and opinions about a language which is absolutely necessary to speak with any confidence.

[Chris]

Thanks once again for the reply.
I see now what you mean with regards to socio-linguistics; I'd always been a bit curious about that. As I mentioned in that previous comment, progress-wise everything has sped up since following your advice, and just abandoning the grammar study, diving in and getting on with it. I enjoy the scientific areas of language a lot, but I'm aware of them as separate disciplines.