Grammar of meaning experiencing language to better understand it
Grammar has a bad reputation: rules to memorize, a rigid and boring subject, and so on. Yet, it’s a dynamic tool that allows us to understand many concepts! I can prove to you that grammar can be fun and playful. That’s what the Grammar of Meaning offers: a pedagogical approach that puts the student at the heart of learning, starting from their experiences, emotions, and perceptions. Rather than teaching abstract rules, the aim here is to bring out meaning by engaging all dimensions of the learner: physical, cognitive, linguistic, and sensory. It’s a shift in perspective based on the 5 learning secrets I apply in my Pédago’Vie methods: evocation, analysis, verbalization, temporality, and multi-sensory manipulation. Want to learn more about this concept of the Grammar of Meaning? You’ve come to the right place!
Better understanding of the approach to the grammar of meaning
Meaningful grammar is rooted in a profoundly humanistic pedagogy that draws on insights from neuroscience and the pedagogy of Elisabeth Nuyts (particularly in her book ” Structuring Grammar “). This concept proposes an active, experiential, and progressive approach to grammatical learning, starting not from grammar rules, but from the individual themselves. To introduce a concept like a verb or a pronoun, the learner is first engaged in movement. The child experiences the action: running, jumping, singing, and so on. In this way, they will retain the concepts more easily. Better yet, they will understand them!
It is essential to integrate grammar into a real-life situation, linked to the body, the environment, and a concrete sense of time. Then, we can move on to verbalization by asking questions that encourage dialogue: “What are you doing? What is the verb? Who is speaking?” This is where the grammatical concept emerges consciously: we are fully immersed in evocation, verbalization, and temporality! In the grammar of meaning, everything stems from the central “I”: the student speaks about what they do, based on their experience. The pronoun “I” is not only the one who acts, but also the one who describes what they are doing. In this sense, grammar becomes a form of self-reflection. Once the child has integrated “I,” we can then gradually introduce “you,” “he/she/it,” and so on, broadening the perspective.
Neuroscience confirms the importance of linking new concepts to prior knowledge. As Steve Masson explains, activating neurons that have already been used allows for the creation of a denser neural network. Students t, therefore, learn better when they connect what they discover to what they already know, hence the value of bringing grammar to life through movement. But learning doesn’t stop at the individual. It’s also essential to open students up to the world. Applying grammar to situations outside of oneself allows one to perceive oneself as different, while still sharing the same mechanisms as others.
This awareness fosters understanding, tolerance, and social connection. That’s why it’s essential to offer children everyday scenes to observe, describe, and imagine, whether through books, images, or photographs, while asking them the right questions to encourage them to draw on their own thinking. Then, to solidify these concepts within the framework of meaningful grammar, we turn to writing. Not just by filling in blanks (as with many classroom exercises), but by writing complete sentences. This is how grammar becomes a living language, a language that makes sense, a language that connects.
Building solid foundations with grammatical scaffolding
Grammatical scaffolding plays a central role in the development of semantic grammar. It involves progressively building stable reference points, respecting how the learner integrates concepts through experience, perception, and self-awareness in space and time. For a child to truly understand a grammatical concept, it is not enough to present it abstractly: they must be connected to their lived experiences and feelings.
Each grammatical concept relies on prior skills that must be consciously integrated. For example, before tackling prepositions, students must have developed conscious vision, proprioception (awareness of their body in space), and laterality (left/right). This sensory foundation is essential for understanding the spatial relationships expressed by prepositions. Similarly, understanding adjectives requires the ability to mobilize conscious sensory perceptions and distinguish between the different meanings of the verb “to be.” When introducing possessive adjectives, children must have already grasped the central role of “I” (the “I” who speaks, observes, and situates themselves) as well as the role of personal pronouns in distinguishing points of view (my/your/his/her).
Each new concept is therefore closely linked to prior skills or knowledge, which must be reinforced. This is the whole principle of scaffolding : building, layer by layer, a grammar rooted in the learner’s meaning, experience, and awareness. In this way, the student doesn’t simply add up disconnected rules, but develops a coherent mental structure that allows them to understand how the language works as a whole. It is this progressive and integrated approach that allows grammar to become a true tool for thought and communication anando longer just a series of rules to memorize.
Schematization in the service of the grammar of meaning
Understanding is paramount: it’s the foundation of meaningful grammar. To understand a sentence, one must master grammatical spelling; to understand words, one must master solid lexical spellin. It isby anchoring these two dimensions in a deep understanding that a child can truly make language their own. And for this, diagramming is a remarkably effective tool. Have you ever made a freehand sketch to explain a concept to someone? Well done, because diagramming is exactly what you need to do to learn more easily.
To help a child grasp a sentence or grammatical concept, it’s essential to guide them to create a clear and concrete mental image. This is the approach of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), which focuses on how individuals use their brains to learn. In NLP, this is called evocation : it involves activating an internal image of what one reads or hears. The earlier a child develops this skill, the more quickly they will feel comfortable imagining, understanding, and then formulating their own sentences. In this context, diagramming becomes a gateway to thought. It’s a powerful cognitive tool .rawDrawing action, a subject, an object, or a setting allows children to give form to elements that are often too abstract. And above all, it helps them anchor concepts in a lived or imagined reality, which facilitates long-term memorization.
Good news: you don’t need to know how to draw to create diagrams! It’s not about illustrating a story, but about representing the essential elements of a sentence simply and legibly. A character, an arrow, an object, a place, etc. These are graphic tools that help students structure their thoughts.
And there’s no age limit for it. From elementary school to middle school, and even in high school and adulthood, diagramming remains a valuable strategy for developing comprehension n in Frenchmathematics, and many other subjects. It also allows us to address specific needs. And if diagramming or mental imagery isn’t enough, we can offer concrete manipulations (figures, maps, gestures, objects).
A small clarification: the goal is not to schematize everything, but to give meaning through images so that the information is understood concretely.
NLP, in its pedagogical approaches, uses a simple and accessible form of grammar. It speaks of the star for the subject, of what moves for the action verb, of the object for the direct object, and of the setting for adverbial phrases. Traditional grammatical terms (subject, direct object, indirect object, adverbial phrase, etc.) come later, once the structure has become clear. This approach fully aligns with the grammar of meaning : placing the child’s lived experience at the heart of learning, then structuring it with precise words. Diagramming, combined with mental imagery, gives children the means to deeply understand what they say, read, or write. It is a grammar grounded in reality, the body, and the imagination, and this is precisely what makes it so powerful.
Grammar lessons are often perceived as boring, with too many rules to memorize. However, by implementing the power of meaningful grammar, the benefits for learners can quickly become apparent. Through your teaching, I strongly encourage you to broaden your teaching strategies by continuing to develop your skills and experiment with new tools. Remember, grammar, like many other academic subjects, is a lived experience
Everything you need to know about the grammar of meaning
- The grammar of meaning puts the student back at the center of learning by starting from their experience, their emotions, and their body.
- This approach is based on neuroscience and the concept that movement facilitates learning.
- Grammatical scaffolding allows for the construction of solid reference points, y linking each concept to sensory skills.
- Diagramming is a powerful tool to help children visualize, understand, and memorize abstract grammar concepts.
- Grammar is a way to structure thought and better understand the world, rather than a set of fixed rules.
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