The issue of grammar is particularly of great importance to learners of English. Faced with myriads of English grammar terminologies, they need to understand grammar. One of these terminologies is ‘complex sentence’. This notion
has even been recognized by Indonesian learners of English in their L1 under kalimat majemuk bertingkat. Indonesian learners of English may be regularly exposed to kalimat majemuk bertingkat, which bears a close relation to English complex
sentences in terms of subordination and conjunctions they involve. Thus, Indonesian
learners of English who have received little, or even no, instruction on English complex sentence may have a passing acquaintance with it on the basis of the knowledge they have gained through Indonesian Language Teaching.
Grammar terminologies present a formidable challenge in the form of twofold demanding tasks. One is learning the metalanguage itself, i.e. the term or language used to describe language, and the other one is internalizing the content of the term. The latter becomes more arduous on the grounds that the learners have to discern the
concepts beyond the language. Of a greater challenge is the time when they are confronted with several dissimilar perspectives within an umbrella term. It would seem common in one area as complicated as language to find distinct viewpoints put into play by linguists. But it certainly will puzzle those in search of the perspective that serves their purposes, for example teachers-to-be in English Department who are expected to know more about, and teach their future students, grammar. |