Schlüssel oder Peitsche? Schulgrammatik im Spagat

Abstract In this essay I understand school grammar as academic grammar for future teachers. It aims at linguistic awareness, not linguistic knowledge, which is an essential common ground with grammar lessons at school. It is about exciting insights into the structure of language. In the first section, the discourse on school grammar is examined. I will put a focus on the cultivated negative image of school grammar in history and then contrast it with practical expectations of use. Thereafter the essential linguistic foundations are outlined, which have been neglected in school grammar for far too long, being afraid of linguistic theory: valency and constituency. Afterwards, the area of tension between first and second language in terms of school grammar will be explored. Finally, I sketch school grammar as a basis for error correction and evaluation.