UITS Journal
Volume: 1 Issue: 2
ISSN: 2226-3128
Concept Paper:
Encyclopaedia Grammar of the English Language
M.M. Mahi1
In line with the continuous process of UITS Research Centre, the university can
publish the largest English grammar of the world titled An Encyclopaedia
Grammar of the English Language (EGEL). There are many concise books on
this subject published from Oxford, Longman, Cambridge, and Birmingham
universities. But few of them have tried to publish comprehensive grammar. As a
result grammatical rules are not combined in any single book.
There are so many rules of the English language that they often confuse the
learner whose mother tongue is not English. There are some cases in which great
experts however scholarly become confused. For example if one asks, what is
the English translation of kL nvwmbv evsjv`ki KZZg cavb gx?, perhaps there are
few English professors who are not confused in solving this problem. If we ask
what the verb forms are after words like class/agenda/data/poultry, many people
are confused. Again if we ask ourselves what the past participle of telecast is, we
must be confused because there are few grammar books which give information
on this subject. [1] Some dictionaries give either no information [2] or give only
half information on this subject. [3] They say that past participle of telecast is
telecast [4] and in such cases a reader thinks that telecasted is wrong although
both telecast and telecasted are correct according to modern standard English.
[5] In this context grammar books have either no solution [6] or they have
incomplete solution. [7] These problems are very difficult to solve. Experienced
professors often avoid these questions very tactfully and in such cases they
disregard grammar. But the readers hunger is not fulfilled by such avoidance.
Two gigantic English grammar books have been published from Longman tiled
A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language by Randolph Quirk,
Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, and Jan Svartvik (1985) and Longman
Grammar of Spoken and Written English by Douglas Biber, Stig Johansson,
Geoffrey Leech, Susan Conrad, and Edward Finnegan (1999). These two
grammars are undoubtedly assets to the English language. Perhaps no other
language has so large a grammar as English. Although these two books are
gigantic in size, they fail to contain a lot of necessary information. They have
elaborately discussed the theoretical aspects of the language rather than hinted at
its practical aspects. In some cases they have just imitated the previously
prevalent grammar books like J.C. Nesfield , for example, if one asks what the
correct plural form of deeris, these books will answer deer. [8][9] This
information is available in any good grammar book, however small. But the
actual answer should be deer/ deers.[10])[11] To find such information a reader
has to consult many dictionaries, which is almost impossible for an ordinary
reader . So a comprehensive grammar is highly needed to avoid any
inconvenience. Again if one asks any theoretical questions like discrete
grammar, contextualized grammar, ergative verb [12], subjunctive verb [13],
1.
Research Officer, UITS, mahi_eng_du@[Link]
145
Concept Paper: Encyclopedia Grammar of the English Language
empty verb [14], ground noun [15], lazy pronoun [16], donkey sentence [17],
factive verb [18], homomorphic verb [19], these books have nothing to answer.
But seeing their monumental size, a reader can easily expect such answers from
them. So a very comprehensive grammar book is highly needed covering all
theoretical and practical aspects of the English we use today. At the same time
there will be hints at exceptions that were prevalent in Shakespearean or
Victorian times but now they have become either obsolete or archaic such as
Tempt not a desperate man. (Archaic)
Dont tempt a desperate man. (Modern) [20]
The following recommendations should be maintained for our new monumental book.
01. The book will be the most detailed and most comprehensive work on English
grammar in the world.
02. Its name will be An Encyclopaedia Grammar of the English Language
since its size will be encyclopaedic.
03. Its estimated page numbers are more than 2000 (thousand) in a4 size.
04. The book will be bilingual for Bangladeshi and Indian readers. Again it will
be monolingual (English) for international readers.
05. It will contain very basic information, for example, word and syllable with
the most advanced topic like case grammar, discourse, syntax and morphology,
phonetics and phonology.
06. It will always prioritize practical aspects. In such cases it is very advanced
research for grammar ever undertaken in this sub-continent.
07. It will collect information from all previously published grammar books,
dictionaries, corpuses, and real life (journals and magazines.)
08. It will never copy any previous books.
10. It will of course emphasize correctness.
10. In cases of ambiguities it will depict historical and political aspects of
particular usages, for example, every student should do his/her duties.
11. The treatment of presentation should be as easy as possible.
12. It will indicate all sources.
13. The book will be marketed throughout the whole of Bangladesh, and parts of India.
14. Its monolingual (English) version will be marketed through the whole world.
15. The book will be authored by a single person and will be revised (edited) by
several experts.
16. UITS Research Center will own the copyright of the book.
17. The Research Center will patronize all financial and infrastructural support
for this purpose.
18. The book will maintain an international index.
19. The book will contain both British and American English where they are not
same such as
He is different from/to you. (British)
He is different from/ than you. (US) (21)
Compiling such a gigantic book is very difficult and needs inhuman toil and
industry. It will perhaps be the only work ever undertaken by a single man across
the world especially for English. The university can have unimaginable
reputation by publishing such a rare and almost impossible task.
146
UITS Journal
Volume: 1 Issue: 2
ISSN: 2226-3128
References
[1] Alexander, L.G. (1988): Longman English Grammar. (Longman) p. 343
Eastwood, John. (1994): Oxford Guide to English Grammar.(Oxford) p. 386
Wren, P.C. and Martin, H. (1998): High School English Grammar and
Composition. (S. Chand and Company Limited) p.89
[2] Siddique, Zillur Rahman and others.(1994):Bangla Academy English Bengali
Dictionary (Bangla Academy) p. 817
Dev, A.T. (2000) Students Favourite English Bengali Dictionary (Hakkani
Publishers) p.1295
[3] Hornby , A.S.(2010)Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current
English. (Oxford) p. 1590
[4] Ibid.
[5] Webster, Merriam.(2002):New Encyclopedic Dictionary. (Webster) p.1897
[6] Eastwood, John. (1994): Oxford Guide to English Grammar.(Oxford) p. 386
[7] Quirk, Randolph; Greenbaum, Sidney; Leech, Geoffrey; and Svartvik, Jan.
(1985): A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. (Longman) p.119
[8] Quirk, Randolph; Greenbaum, Sidney; Leech, Geoffrey; and Svartvik, Jan.
(1985): A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. (Longman) p. 308
[9] Biber, Douglas; Johansson, Stig; Leech, Geoffrey; Conrad, Susan; and
Finnegan, Edward (1999): Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written
English.(Longman) p.324
[10]. Summer, Della and others (1995): Longman Dictionary of Contemporary
English (Longman) p. 355
[11] Webster, Merriam. (2002): New Encyclopedic Dictionary. (Webster) p. 472
Mahi, Mohammad Mohiuddin. (2011): A Short Approach to English.
(SHARMS) p. 351
[12] Hornby, A.S. (2010): Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current
English. (Oxford) p. 514
[13] Sidney; Leech, Geoffrey; and Svartvik, Jan (2005): A Communicative
Grammar of English.(Longman) p. 407
[14] Eastwood, John. (1994): Oxford Guide to English Grammar.(Oxford) p. 110
[15] Crystal, David. (2003) A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics
(Blackwell) p. 211
[16] Ibid. p. 261
[17] Ibid. p. 149
[18] Ibid. p. 174
[19] Thakur, D.(1998)Syntax.(Bharati Bhawan) p. 66
[20] Hornby, A.S. (1975) Guide to Patterns and Usage in English. (Oxford) p. 3
[21] Fowler, H.W. (1998): Modern English Usage. (Oxford) pp.212-213
Mahi, Mohammad Mohiuddin. (2011): A Short Approach to English.
(SHARMS) p. 374
147
