The first language teaching hippy?
Dr Joseph Webbe (c. 1560-1633):
“no man can run speedily to the mark of language that is shackled and ingiv’d with grammar precepts”
(Webbe, 1622, cited in A History of English Language Teaching by A P R Howatt and Teacher Language Awareness by Stephen Andrews pg 50)
Having read that, I’ve made a promise never to ingiv’ my students with grammar precepts again. This link on Dr Joseph Webbe has a great quote suggesting that by learning grammar you can be liked by everyone, though, so maybe I am wrong… Anyhow, I’m not making on promises on shackling my students in the future.
Speaking seriously for a second (but just a second), it’s amazing to think that they have been arguing about the need or not for grammar since the 17th century.
Webbe’s book, btw, had the great title “An appeal to truth, in the controversies between art, and use; about the best, and most expedient course in languages. To be read fasting.” If only TEFL books had titles like that nowadays:
“On making Headway with the English tongue and other examples of the British superiority over our Virginian cousins” by the Most Honorable John and Liz Soars
or
“On being on the Cutting Edge of the learning of the Queen’s fair speech, by such radical ways as pretending you are buying garments. To be read yawning.”